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TRIP TO THE AZORES 



Western Islands. 



BY 



M. BORGES de F. HENRIQUES. 



©w 







/ c - BOSTON: 
LEE AND SHEPARD. 

1867. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by 

M. BORGES DE F. HENBIQUES, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 



Stereotyped at the Boston Stereotype Foundry, 
U Spring Lane. 



Riverside Press: H. 0. Houghton <6 Co. 



PREFACE. 



npHE material composing the greater part 
of this little volume was originally 
written to occupy some of the leisure mo- 
ments of the Author, without a thought to 
its future publication. But the many ques- 
tions proposed to him in social intercourse 
respecting the Azores have at length induced 
him to prepare the following pages in their 
present form, for the information of those 
who feel any interest in the subject. Most 
of the historical facts related were carefully 
revised and corrected from authentic sources 

(3) 



4 PREFACE. 

during the writer's late sojourn at these 
Islands. That his labor may prove a source 
of some interest and entertainment to the 
reader is the sincere wish of 

THE AUTHOR. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I, 



Departure for the Azores. — The Ocean. — Discovery of 
the Islands. — Speculations in regard to their prob- 
able Origin. — Formation of a Volcanic Island. , . 9 

CHAPTER II. 

Climate. — Health and Vigor of the Islanders. — The 
Women. — Fancy and Useful Needle-ivork. — Names. 
— Character. — Intrepidity in Navigation. — Popula- 
Hon. — Emigration. — Government. — Religion. — Lan- 
guage. — Literature. — Means of Subsistence. — Nat- 
ural Productions 21 

CHAPTER III. 

Corvo to the Windward. — Its Abearance. — " O Cal- 
deirao." — Curious Rock. — Isolation of the Island. — 

Primitive Customs. 34 

(5) 



6 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Flores. — Abundance of Water. — Santa Cruz. — Public 
Structures. — Roads. — Curious Mass of Lava. — Hot 
Spring. — Craters. — Sheep). — Dress * 39 

CHAPTER V. 

Fayal. — Climate. — ■ Horta. — Sea Wall.— Public Build- 
ings and Institutions. — The Caldeira. — Flamengos. 

— Volcanic Eruptions and Earthquakes 51 

CHAPTER VI. 

Departure from Fayal. — Pico. — Its apparent Sterility. 

— The Vineyards. — Appearance of the Clouds on the 
Cone. — Volcanic Eruptions and Earthquakes. ... 61 

CHAPTER VII. 

St. George. — Landing-place. — Productions. — Velas. — 
Volcanic Eruptions. — A Town sivept away. — Immi- 
nent Danger of Shipwreck. 66 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Graciosa. — Terceira. — Loyalty of its Inhabitants. — 
Extinct Volcanoes. — Angra. — Monte Brazil. — Forti- 
fications. — Public Buildings. — Praya da Victoria. — 
Its repeated Destruction by Earthquakes 73 



CONTENTS. *j 

CHAPTER IX. 

St. Michael. — Wealth of the Island. — Cities and Towns. 

— Stupendous Breakwater. — Earthquakes and Volca- 
noes. — Cold and Hot Springs. — Macadamized Road. 

— The Furnas. — The Baths 83 

CHAPTER X. 

Stay at St. Michael. — Visit to the Furnas. — Return 
thence. — A Night at Porto Formoso. — Stone Quarry 
in Ponta Delgada. — Theatre 93 

CHAPTER XI. 

Departure from St. Michael. — The "Jack." — Second 
Visit to St. George. — Classes of Emigrants. — A Morn- 
ing Watch. -T- Flores again. — Departure for Fayal. 102 

CHAPTER XII. 

At Anchor in the Bay of Horta. — Farroho. — Monte 
Queimado. — View from the Carmelite Church. — 
Quinta da Silveira. — Hospitalities. — Macadamized 
Road. 107 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Misstatements of Travellers. — Exportation of Oranges. 
— Wine. — Its Manufacture. — Newspapers. — Cur- 
rency. — Facilities for Strangers 115 



8 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Beggars and Alms-giving. — The Nobility. — Modes of 
Conveyance. — The Donkey and its Usefulness. — Fleas. I2i 

CHAPTER XV. 

Diversity of Costumes. — Musical Club at Fayat. — 
Balls. — Courtship) Marriage, etc. — Final Departure 
from the Azores. — Conclusion , 130 



A Trip to the Azores. 



CHAPTER I. 

Departure for the Azores. — The Ocean. — Discovery of the 
Islands. — Speculations in regard to their probable Or- 
igin. — Formation of a Volcanic Island. 

LAST summer I resolved to visit my native 
home — a home long unseen, but not forgot- 
ten. Eighteen years had elapsed since I strained 
my sorrowful eyes to watch the last glimpse of its 
blue-tinted mountains, gradually receding into ob- 
scurity. 

Thought crowded thought, suggesting the prob- 
able changes that might have taken place during 
that time, and working me to a high state of ex- 
citement, in which pleasure and pain strove each 
for mastery. This state of feeling continued during 
the trip ; in reality, it did not fairly subside until 
some days after I had reached my destination. 

(9) 



IO A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

Having completed my arrangements, such as char- 
tering a schooner and procuring passengers and 
cargo, the vessel was unmoored from the wharf, 
and, with all its sails expanded to their utmost be- 
fore a light breeze, glided down the harbor. 

When we lost sight of the land, and found our- 
selves upon the broad bosom of the Atlantic, our 
vessel (a ninety-tons schooner) seemed to me like a 
cockle-shell, contrasted with those in which I had 
sailed before, during a period of six years of my 
hitherto eventful existence. 

Were you ever, kind reader, tossed upon the sur- 
ging billows of the restless ocean, the blue canopy 
of heaven seeming to form a part of the fathomless 
waters beneath you ? Did you not contemplate with 
awe, and a feeling of your own nothingness, that 
no less wonderful than mighty work of the Creator, 
— that boundless deep in whose bosom are hidden, 
not only all the known animalcula and monsters, 
but those unknown mysteries, which will remain 
linrevealed to man until the great day when the 
heavens will be rolled up like a scroll? It is the 
element, the prairie, the field, the only home of the 
true-hearted, generous, and gallant sailor. What a 
source of happiness and misery, of sprightliness and 
dejection, of joy and sorrow, of hope and despair, 
of ambition and disappointment I 



THE OCEAN. lt 

The sailor — Ocean's true child — is never really 
happy but whilst rocking upon the heaving bosom 
of the mighty deep ; his joy is boundless when he 
looks up to the light and airy symmetry of the spars 
and well-filled sails of his ship, and his heart throbs 
with pride as he contemplates her, proudly cutting 
her way through the waves ; she bears him on far- 
ther and farther, from dear and near friends, towards 
some distant port, which, to his imagination, seems 
like the far-off peasant's cottage, whose flickering light 
cheers the poor benighted traveller on his weary way. 
His hopes are buoyant as he contemplates the beau- 
tifully blue sky, well studded with bright planets 
and myriads of twinkling stars, and the few objects 
around him rendered visible by the mellow light of 
the moon, and his mind wanders to some future, 
and perhaps indefinable prospect; his ambition tak- 
ing heart at the possible realization of some long- 
cherished hope. 

But I am wandering from my subject. Twelve 
days elapsed, — days of inquietude and mental anx- 
iety, — and then my heart throbbed with joy at the 
sight of my childhood's home ! 

It was not until the next day, however, that I 
landed, and embraced those of my dearest and near- 
est friends whom the chill hand of death had not 
yet touched, but whom the long years of my sep- 



12 A TRIP TO TEE AZORES. 

aration from them had so changed, that my first 
pleasurable emotions were speedily overshadowed by 
a sadness that with difficulty I could overcome. 

I will, for the nonce, suspend my personal narra- 
tive, to give a description of the Azores, as an archi- 
pelago ; and then resume, beginning with the day 
when we arrived at the islands. 

During the fifteenth century, that interesting pe- 
riod in the world's history when the then civilized 
nations were being successively electrified by the dis- 
coveries of those mighty spirits who wandered over 
the ocean, hither and thither, in quest of unknown 
lands to endow their sovereigns with, and, as it 
were, to place richer and rarer pearls upon their 
diadems, as well as to cover themselves with that 
imperishable glory that still encircles their names, — 
during that epoch it was that Goncalo Velho Ca- 
bral, in one of his voyages of discovery, in 143 1, 
fell in with the Formigas, or Ants, a collection of 
eight bare rocks, the highest sixty feet, and one of 
them, at a distance, bearing a marked resemblance 
to a vessel under sail. Upon these rocks the Atlan- 
tic spends its unbridled fury without avail, for they 
have withstood it centuries, and will still withstand 
it, the great Ruler alone knows how much longer. 

It is a fact, although surprising to us now, that a 



DISCOVERY OF THE ISLANDS. 



*3 



year elapsed before Cabral discovered the contiguous 
island of St. Mary, only fifteen miles to the north- 
east of Formigas. Some writers state that eight 
years after Cabral's discovery of St. Mary, that is, 
in 1439, Vanderberg, a Flemish merchant, of Bruges, 
driven to that vicinity by a storm, during a voyage 
from Flanders to Lisbon, discovered some of the 
other islands. But, be that as it may, Cabral has 
the undoubted right to the credit of discovering 
most of the islands bearing the name of Azores. 

The large numbers of agores, a species of hawk, 
found upon these islands when discovered, gave their 
name to this archipelago, which is now commonly 
known as the Western Islands ; and the English, to 
supply the soft sound of the g , have substituted the 
2, and made it Azores instead of Acores. 

These islands are nine in number: St. Michael 
and St. Mary to the southward ; Fayal, Pico, St. 
George, Graciosa, and Terceira, in the centre ; and 
Flores and Corvo to the northward, — three clusters, 
forming, one group, extending nearly two hundred 
and eighty-eight miles from the north-west to the 
south-east. 

The discovery of the various archipelagos in the 
Atlantic Ocean, about the middle of the fifteenth 
century, gave rise to a number of hypotheses ad- 
vanced by philosophers and geologists of that age. 



H 



A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 



From these we may gather the following three the- 
ories : First, that there was reason to suppose the 
Azores, Canaries, and Cape Verde Islands were the 
highest summits of a range, or ranges, of submarine 
mountains, encircling the globe from north to south ; 
Second, that these islands were the fragments of the 
fabulous Atlantis, described by Plato ; and, Third, 
that as vestiges of submarine volcanic eruptions were 
met with in nearly all of them, there was reason to 
believe they owed their origin to volcanic agents. 

I unhesitatingly follow the first theory; though 
Plato's description of the Atlantis, after being di- 
vested of its pagan fictions, has but little of the 
incredible in it; and it is not only probable, but 
possible too, that such a continent did exist, and 
was destroyed by those agencies he mentions, leav- 
ing the archipelagos already mentioned as memen- 
tos of their overwhelming powers ; for in many of 
the islands, but particularly in Flores, there are ves- 
tiges clearly indicating that formerly, as well as lately, 
parts of the island have sunk, or rather fallen away 
and disappeared in the sea. In the summer of 1847, 
for instance, a tract of land a mile long, several 
fathoms wide, and some seven hundred feet high, 
fell into the sea, and formed a sort of islet near the 
shore, leaving a passage for fishing-boats between it 
and the main land. The effect ■ of such a heavy 



ORIGIN OF THE ISLANDS. 



15 



body falling upon the water was almost incredible ; 
it reached Corvo, a distance of twelve miles, carried 
off a boat from the beach, and drowned two per- 
sons. Similar effects were felt, of course, upon the 
shores of Flores itself — seven individuals, of both 
sexes, who were differently engaged at various 
places near the water, being washed off and drowned. 
This is not a solitary, though extraordinary case, for 
since then, as well as before, there have been other 
slides, but of less importance, it is true. 

But the marvellous idea set forth by the third the- 
ory, that these islands were thrown up from the 
bottom of the ocean by immense volcanos, I entirely 
repudiate, because islands purely volcanic, and thrown 
up by submarine fires, are generally formed of such 
loose materials that the sea, in a very short time, 
destroys them. They are composed of lava, sand, 
and other volcanic scorise, which have no adhesive 
power in themselves ; they are sterile, unless mixed 
with vegetable earth ; and, upon examination, it is 
evident that the quantity and position of these com- 
posite parts are entirely different from the soil of the 
Azores. 

To illustrate this more fully, I will give the reader 
an interesting account — that is, if I can make it so 
; — of the formation and disappearance of an island 
of this description. 



1 



16 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

In the early part of 1811 a tremendous explosion 
occurred, and smoke and flames issued from the sea 
at a distance of nearly two miles from the western 
shores of St. Michael. Smoke, fire, cinders, ashes, 
and stones of an immense size, were thrown up from 
this spot, where there was a depth of about forty 
fathoms. Upon the surface of the water in that 
vicinity floated innumerable quantities of fish ; some 
as if roasted, and others as if boiled. A dangerous 
shoal was then formed here, where the ship Swift, 
with , all her crew, was lost, before its existence be- 
came known. 

On the nth of June, of the same year, repeated 
shocks of earthquakes were felt in Ponta Delgada, 
the capital of the island, destroying several cottages 
and portions of the cliff towards the north-west. 
Much greater destruction was anticipated and feared 
during two days ; but at the expiration of that time 
the volcano broke out once more, and the earth- 
quakes ceased. 

On the 17th of June a party of gentlemen pro- 
ceeded over land to the cliff nearest to the volcano, 
a height between three and four hundred feet above 
the level of the sea. The first appearance it pre- 
sented then was that of an immense body of smoke 
revolving in the water, almost horizontally, in varied 
involutions ; when suddenly would shoot up a col- 



ORIGIN OF THE ISLANDS. 



17 



umn of the blackest cinders, ashes, and stones, in 
form like a spire, and rising to windward at an 
angle of from ten to twenty degrees from a per- 
pendicular line. This was rapidly succeeded by a 
second, third, and fourth, each having greater velo- 
city, and overtopping the preceding one, till they 
had attained an altitude as much above the level 
of the eye on the cliff as the sea was below it. 
The columns of ashes and cinders, at their greatest 
height, formed into branches resembling magnificent 
pines ; and as they fell, mixing with the festoons of 
white feathery smoke, at one time assumed the ap- 
pearance of vast plumes of black and white ostrich 
feathers ; at another, that of the light, wavy branches 
of a weeping-willow. These bursts were accompa- 
nied by flashes of the most vivid lightning, with a 
noise like the continual firing of cannon and mus- 
ketry intermixed. As the cloud of smoke rolled off 
to leeward, it drew up the water-spouts already men- 
tioned, which formed a beautiful and striking addi- 
tion to the scene. 

On the 1 8th, the British sloop of war Sabrina — 
the crew of which, two days previous, had observed 
two columns of white smoke ascending from the sea, 
which they then supposed to arise from an engage- 
ment — approached as closely to the volcano as she 
could with safety, and found it raging with unabated 
2 



1 8 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

violence — throwing up large stones, cinders, and 
ashes, accompanied by several severe concussions. 
About noon the mouth of the crater was seen, just 
showing itself above the surface of the sea. At 
three o'clock, P. M., it was about thirty feet above 
the surface of the water, and about a furlong in 
length. On the following day, the 19th, this vol- 
canic island had attained the height of fifty feet, and 
a length of two thirds of a mile, still raging as be- 
fore, and throwing up large quantities of stones, some 
of which fell a mile distant from the spot. The 
smoke drew up several water-spouts, which, spread- 
ing in the air, fell in heavy rain, accompanied by 
vast quantities of fine black sand, that completely 
covered the Sabrina's decks, at a distance of three 
or four miles. On the 20th, the volcano was about 
one hundred and fifty feet high, still raging as for- 
merly, and continuing to increase in size. 

By the 4th of July a complete island had been 
formed, and was perfectly quiet. The captain and 
some of the officers of the Sabrina effected a land- 
ing, but found it very steep, its height being from 
two to three hundred feet. With much difficulty 
they reached the top ; but the ground — or rather 
the ashes, composed of sulphurous matter, dross of 
iron, etc. — was so very hot to their feet that they 
were obliged to return. Before leaving, however, 



ORIGIN OF THE ISLANDS. ro, 

they took possession of the new-born island in the 
name of his Britannic Majesty, and left an English 
union-jac,k flying upon it. 

The form of the island, at this time, was nearly 
round, and the circumference about a mile. In the 
summit of it was a large basin of boiling water, 
whence a stream some six yards across ran into the 
sea, towards St. Michael ; and at the distance of 
fifty yards from the island, the water, although thirty 
fathoms deep, was too hot to hold the hand in ; in 
short, this little island appeared as a crater : the cliff 
on the outside as walls, steep within and without, 
the basin of boiling water being the mouth, or vent, 
to the volcano. 

Subsequently, and by degrees, this island crum- 
bled away, and disappeared in the sea, English 
union-jack and all, so that by the middle of Octo- 
ber no part was left above water ; but a dangerous 
shoal remained in the place which it had occupied. 
In February, 181 2, smoke was discovered still issu- 
ing out of the sea near the spot. 

This was the third time that an island was formed, 
or thrown up, in about the same spot. Of its first 
appearance, in 1628, nothing is known but the fact. 
The second, in 1720, was preceded and attended by 
a high* column of smoke, and a discharge of ashes 
and pumice-stone. Its. declivities were very steep, 



2o A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

as no bottom could be found with twenty fathoms 
near its shores. Its height was estimated at three 
hundred and fifty feet, which it preserved for about 
two years, when it gradually disappeared. In 1823 
the depth of the sea at this spot was sixty fathoms 
— twice as deep as it had been previous to the last 
eruption and appearance of the island. Singularly 
enough, too, were the intervals between the three 
eruptions — ninety-two and ninety-one years, respec- 
tively. Such is the fate of purely volcanic islands. 



CHAPTER II. 

Climate. — HeaWi and Vigor of the Islanders. — The Wo- 
men. — Fancy and useful Needle-work, — Names. — Char- 
acter. — Intrepidity in Navigation. — Population. — 
Emigration. — Government. — Religion. — Language. — 
Literature. — Means of Subsistence. — Natural Pro- 
ductions. 

SITUATED in the best locality of the northern 
temperate zone, about two thousand miles nearly- 
east from the United States, the Azores enjoy a de- 
lightful and healthful climate. Its mildness precludes 
the necessity of fires, and in no room except the kitch- 
en is a stove or fireplace ever seen among the natives. 
Rains and dampness are the disagreeable inconven- 
iences to be met with; but the sickly heats peculiar 
to the torrid, and the insufferable colds of the frigid 
zones, are almost unknown in these Western Isles. 
Fahrenheit's thermometer rarely shows a tempera- 
ture above 75° or below 50 . Frost is unknown, but 
is represented by a species of murrain, caused by 
excessive dampness, succeeded by sudden heat, that 

(21) 



22 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

attacks and sometimes seriously injures the crops* 
Snow never falls, except on the peaks of the highest 
mountains; in fact, it is never seen anywhere, but on 
the summit of Pico, which soars seven thousand five 
hundred and sixty feet above the surface of the sea. 
To the ever-changing aspect of this peak the snow 
adds a grand effect. It is seldom that thunder- 
storms rage, hail falls, or bleak winds blow, although 
in the winter the last are sometimes rather trouble- 
some. While the inhabitants of other countries see, 
during a great portion of the year, icy deserts beneath 
their feet, and dark and gloomy skies above, the 
Azoreans enjoy, in great measure, clear, serene, and 
delightful weather. 

By this I do not wish to convey the idea that the 
climate is all that can be wished ; but, speaking in 
general terms, it is to be considered as very fine. 
Of course the winter, which occurs in the same 
months that it does in the New England States, is 
the time for all the combinations of bad weather; 
and a visitor who arrives at the islands late in the 
fall, expecting, according to what he has heard, un- 
exceptionably fine weather, is likely to be disap- 
pointed ; for he experiences some disagreeably cold, 
windy, and rainy days, and is likely to think the 
elements have combined towards the general an- 
nihilation of that particular portion of the globe. 



CLIMATE. THE WOMEN. 



23 



Still, these are but occasional, and are to be met 
with almost everywhere. 

Under the salubrious influences of such a mild and 
healthful climate, the Azoreans are, ordinarily, a vig- 
orous and healthy race. In all the islands stout old 
men are seen, at the advanced age of seventy or 
eighty years, still supporting the fatigue and labor 
of the fields. The females, though budding into 
womanhood at thirteen and fourteen years of age, 
retain their comeliness and bloom a long time, and 
do not fade into old women at so early an age as 
they do in this country. Mothers of half a dozen 
or more children very often look as fresh and youth- 
ful as American women of twenty years, although 
they may have seen their thirty summers or more. 
They are, in most cases, handsome, or rather lively 
and interesting, dark in complexion, and more re- 
sembling the daughters of the sunny south than those 
of the north. 

Not only the ladies of rank and education, but 
many of the poorer class of girls, are dexterous 
with their fingers, and evince a deal of patience in 
executing some very difficult ornamental and useful 
work. They manufacture shawls, capes, veils, and 
other articles of ladies' apparel, from the fibres of the 
aloe, in black, white, and red. Open-work hose, of 
the very finest cotton ; tidies and rigolettes ; feather 



24 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

flowers ; wreaths of sea-mosses and shells ; bouquets 
and other ornamental work, they make from the pith 
of the fig-tree. In short, they succeed in nearly every* 
thing that is possible to be made by female hands, 
and the finish and perfection of their work are 
almost unequalled. 

Individuals are generally addressed by their Chris- 
tian names, and sometimes by their middle or fam- 
ily names, as it may be. It is not seldom, too, that 
the second name is properly the family name, like 
my own, and the last one or two (for often persons 
have four or more names) are derived from the 
grandfathers, a sort of more comprehensive or wide- 
spread family name. Nicknames are almost univer- 
sally used, especially among the lower classes, being 
derived from particular trades, remarkable incidents, 
places of residence, or striking personal accomplish- 
ments or blemishes. 

It is not surprising, that, born in a delightful coun- 
try, with an excellent climate, the Azoreans should 
be inclined to indolence. They require to be stim- 
ulated by necessity to show their aptitude for any 
kind of application. In the sciences they manifest 
comprehension, genius, and talent ; in navigation, 
intrepidity and firmness to face the fury and undergo 
the hardships of the stormy ocean ; and in mechan- 
ics, ingenuity and activity. The reason why they 



INTREPIDITY IN NAVIGATION. 



25 



have not attained to greater perfection in all these, 
is, that they have not the stimulus to animate and 
incite them to work, and that in their country have 
not been founded those institutions calculated to 
develop their talents and improve their faculties. 

They are affable, generous, and beneficent; but 
fond of public amusements, of ostentation, and pleas- 
ure. In many of the islands, particularly in country 
villages, there are still observed among many families 
that innocence and simplicity of life that character- 
ized their ancestors. The respect they evince for 
religion is extreme ; though among the higher classes 
many are met with who have a tendency to an irre- 
ligious free-thinking. 

Speaking of their intrepidity in navigation reminds 
me of an interesting circumstance that illustrates it. 
At an after-dinner conversation, a gentleman inci- 
dentally mentioned the occurrence, but could not give 
me the particulars, which I learned on the following 
day from two men whom I met in a store. Knowing 
they were natives of Graciosa, I questioned them 
upon the subject, and found that both had been eye- 
witnesses of the circumstance — the elder of the two 
being the master of the expedition. 

Joao da Cunha, on the 9th of October, 1852, sailed 
at midnight from Terceira in an open boat, called the 
Livramento, for his native island, Graciosa. The 



26 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

capacity of the boat was twenty-four tons, with a keel 
fifty feet long. There were thirty-nine persons on 
board, including the crew. About four hours after 
their departure the wind increased to a heavy gale 
from the south-west and west-south-west, carrying 
away the mainsail and jib, leaving only the foresail, 
close-reefed. Finding he could not make the port 
in Graciosa, he put back to Terceira ; but the sea, by 
this time, ran so high that he had to throw some of 
the cargo overboard, and keep the boat before the 
wind, trusting in God to guide him with his com- 
pany safely over the boundless waters, and hoping to 
reach the continent somewhere, for the compass was 
the only instrument they had. They subsisted entirely 
upon raw horse-beans and inferior wine, which com- 
posed their cargo, during nine days. At the end of 
this period they reached Cape St. Vincent, in Portu- 
gal, after having suffered mental and bodily tortures 
more easily imagined than described. 

They were all sent home in a vessel ; and after- 
wards a party went out to bring the boat back. The 
authorities prohibited their sailing to the Azores, 
but allowed them to clear for Lisbon, if they should 
follow the coast. They cleared, therefore, with the 
ostensible purpose of going to Lisbon ; but, as soon 
as they were out of sight, shaped their course for 



POPULATION. 27 

Graciosa, where they arrived after eighteen days' 
passage. 

This is but one of the many instances in which 
the Azoreans have proved themselves worthy de- 
scendants of those brave Lusitanians who explored 
vast oceans, and astonished the then civilized world 
with the discovery, not only of the greater part 
of the western and eastern coasts of Africa, and 
the doubling of the tempestuous Cape of Good Hope, 
but also the discovery of the southern coasts of Asia, 
even as far as Japan and Brazil, not to mention 
the innumerable islands dotting the intervening 
oceans. 

So many fatal accidents have happened, that now 
it is very often the case the authorities have to pro- 
hibit their sailing from one island to another, espe- 
cially when they are about returning home, for then 
they are more blind to danger than on any other 
occasion. 

The population of these islands is at present esti- 
mated at two hundred and fifty thousand. The an- 
nual revenue amounts to about two hundred and 
sixty-three thousand dollars — being an income of 
something like forty thousand dollars less than the 
expenses, occasioned by the many public works in 
progress for the general improvement of the coun- 
try. There has been of late years a controversy 



28 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

between insular writers upon the subject of popula- 
tion, some lamenting an imaginary decrease occa- 
sioned by the annual emigrations to Brazil and the 
United States, while others strongly affirm, and con- 
clusively prove, that the number of inhabitants far 
exceeds the industrial means to employ them. 

It is true that hundreds leave their homes ; but it 
is also true that a great number return, every year, 
who have been absent divers lengths of time, and 
take home the gold and silver they have earned with 
incessant toil, not only in the mines of California 
and under the ardent skies of Brazil, but also in 
the adventurous voyages after whales, in regions 
none the more inviting. 

Not longer ago than in 1864, in two vessels alone, 
from Brazil, there were two hundred thousand dollars 
entered on the manifests by passengers, aside from 
the small sums carried by others. Every vessel that 
goes from Brazil and the United States carries more 
or less specie. 

The government, like that of Portugal, is a lim- 
ited, or constitutional, monarchy. The islands are 
divided into three administrative and military dis- 
tricts, each having a civil and a military governor, 
restricted in their powers^ and responsible for their 
conduct to the home government. Many of the mu- 
nicipal officers are elected by the people, while others 



RELIGION. LANGUAGE. LITERATURE. 29 

are appointed by the governors. Aside from this, 
the islands are represented in Cortes, or Parliament, 
by ten deputies, or representatives, elected also by 
the people. 

Roman Catholicism is the established religion, not 
only of Portugal, but of the Azores. All other sects, 
however, are tolerated, provided they do not disturb 
the peace of the established church by decrying it, 
or propagating their own creeds publicly, or in such 
a manner as will come under the notice of the gov- 
ernment. Many of the natives live undisturbedly 
without the pale of the church, in the free exercise 
of their belief, or rather unbelief. 

The Portuguese language, which resembles the 
Spanish so much that a person having a compe- 
tent knowledge of the one, can, with little practice, 
readily understand the other, is spoken in all the 
islands. French and English are spoken to a great 
extent among the higher classes ; and many young 
children are met with who speak both of these lan- 
guages. 

The literature is not of that standard which is 
classed with the best, although we have authors 
that would make it worth one's while to learn the 
language in order to read their productions — such 
as Gil Vicente, Sa de Miranda, and Antonio Ferreira 
of the fifteenth, and Camoes of the sixteenth century, 



30 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

who immortalized his name by the Lusiadas, the 
almost starting-points of our literature. Since then, 
up to the present time, there has been a succession 
of good authors, some of them natives of these islands, 
limited in number, it is true ; but we must remem- 
ber that the country is also limited in extent and 
means, and has been very often shaken by violent 
political commotions — ills decidedly antagonistic to 
the development of the mind. 

The islands are well stocked with all domestic 
animals, fowls, and birds ; and the surrounding sea 
is alive with fish of various kinds, supporting hun- 
dreds not only of fishermen, but of other classes. 
All kinds of grain and vegetables are also abundant in 
ordinary times ; and when there is a scarcity, which 
is the case sometimes, it is not because the islands 
are unproductive, but because they are overloaded 
with population, and the crops are injured or de- 
stroyed by incessant rains or strong winds. 

Flax grows luxuriantly ; but previous to the late 
civil war in this country, its cultivation had declined 
very much ; the large quantities of linens and cot- 
tons imported from England and America had dimin- 
ished the demand for it, both at home and in Brazil, 
where it had a good market when manufactured. But 
after the secession war was inaugurated, the cottons 
increased in price there, as they did elsewhere, 



NATURAL PRODUCTIONS. 



31 



to such a degree that the almost forgotten cultiva- 
tion of flax received a new impetus, and it is now 
grown and manufactured to a greater extent than 
ever before. It is not only used for sheets, table- 
cloths, and other household linen, but is also worked 
up into beautiful patterns for gentlemen's summer 
wear, the coarser kinds being used by laboring 
people. 

The vineyards, particularly those of Pico, resting 
mostly on stony or volcanic soils, present a novel 
aspect. To render them fertile, it is necessary to 
build low stone walls, formed into small squares, 
within which to plant the vines. The next step is 
to make hollows in these squares, and fill them up 
with earth. After the vines and fruit-trees are 
planted, a beautiful, agreeable, and regularly dis- 
posed landscape is presented to the view. 

At first, it appears to the eye as a stony field, 
sterile and unlovely ; but as the spring and sum- 
mer advance, the most fastidious beholder cannot 
fail to be charmed at the gradually unfolding beau- 
ties — green, luxuriant foliage, succeeded by the most 
delicious fruits. 

Unfortunately for the islands, during the last ten 
or twelve years there has raged a fatal disease 
(Oidium Tuckeri) among the vines, in conjunction 
with the potato rot, to such an extent that propri- 



32 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

etors who used to have one thousand barrels of 
wine yearly, have now, some seasons, scarcely thirty. 
The disease appears just after the formation of the 
fruit, and seems like a white, pulverized mould, 
covering the fruit and leaves, and in some cases 
the vine itself. The leaf and fruit then gradually 
change color, dry up, as if scorched, and rot, ex- 
haling a bad odor in some localities. Pulverized 
sulphur has been discovered to be a preventive to 
some degree, though an expensive one, of the 
disease. 

The groves are extremely pleasant, and very beau- 
tiful. All persons, especially strangers, express their 
delight as they behold the evergreen orangeries of 
the Azores, either when covered by a mantle of snow- 
white flowers, perfuming the air with their delicious 
fragrance, or when, bending under the weight of 
their fruit, they strew the ground with their exuber- 
ance. There is scarcely a month in which the 
Azoreans have not some kind of fruit with which 
to grace their tables. Oranges, lemons, guavas, 
and citrons are succeeded by figs and pears ; the 
latter by apricots, plums, and grapes; after which 
come apples, peaches, quinces, and chestnuts — one 
species succeeding another throughout the year. 

The gardens possess considerable beauty, and the 
flowers and plants with which they are stored are 



NATURAL PRODUCTIONS. 



33 



as fresh and as scrupulously kept as those in a con- 
servatory. In an even temperature like this, you 
meet with plants from all quarters of the globe, 
flourishing with the vigor of perpetual spring. 
From the same plot of ground that produces gera- 
niums, fuchsias, roses, and carnations, you may 
gather oranges, lemons, limes, and guavas ; the 
magnolia, palm, sugar-cane, and banana flourish 
with the tobacco and India-rubber plants. The 
glossy-leaved camellia japonica grows into a tree ; 
and the oleander, with its flesh-colored blossoms, is 
a lofty, flowering shrub. 

Having now brought to a close my general survey 
of the Azores as a whole, I will resume my narra- 
tive in the next chapter. 



CHAPTER III. 

Corvo to the Windward. — Its Abearance. — u O Cal- 
deirao." — Curious Rock. — Isolation of the Island. — 
Primitive Customs. 

OWING to a miscalculation of the captain in 
his reckoning, and a slight change in the 
wind, we made the islands of Flores and Corvo on 
our weather bow ; in consequence of which it was 
noon before we neared the rugged and steep shores 
of the latter. I immediately went on shore in order 
to enter the vessel, and land those of our passengers 
whose destination was this island. 

Corvo, the smallest and most northern of the 
group, derives its name from the many crows exist- 
ing upon it when discovered. In size, it is six 
miles in length by three in breadth, rising abruptly 
from the ocean, with a rough, inhospitable-looking 
coast of dark, serrated rocks, which run in reefs 
from the shore, lifting themselves high above the 
water in one place, blackening the surface in an- 

(34) 



CALDEIRAO." CURIOUS ROCK. 



35 



other, and, again, sinking to such a depth that the 
waves only eddy and bubble over them. 

On this island there is a crater, called by the 
natives O Caldeirao — ." The Big Pot." The first 
part of the ride to it is through steep and narrow 
lanes, walled in with stones. Over these walls you 
can sometimes see the country right and left, which 
is divided into small and well-cultivated compart- 
ments by low stone walls. These small fields form 
narrow terraces, one above another, looking from 
the sea like steps cut in the hills. An hour's ride 
brings you to an open mountain covered with heath, 
where browse flocks of sheep and hogs ; and about 
an hour and a half more, to the crater on the sum- 
mit. This crater, once, no doubt, a turbulent pit, 
is now a quiet, green valley, with a dark, still pond 
in the centre, and partakes of that appearance of 
sad serenity which belongs to volcanic valleys. The 
sides of the round crater are covered with heath 
and turf, and the pond within is broken up by 
several green hillocks and islands, which, imagina- 
tive people say, form a miniature chart of the Azores 
on a grand scale. 

Another natural curiosity, which has been almost 
defaced by the ravages of the weather and the bad 
taste of visitors, is a rock resembling a horseman, 
with the right arm extended to the westward, as if 



36 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

pointing the way to the New World. Some insular 
writers deny the existence of this rock. 

On account of the boldness of the shores of this 
little island, the bad weather in winter blockades 
the inhabitants sometimes for several weeks, and 
bars all intercourse with their neighbors of Flores 
and the world at large. This, however, is no incon- 
venience to them, for the island produces everything 
they require — both food and clothing. 

The reader must not infer from my language 
that the natural productions of the island are very 
numerous ; on the contrary, there are few varieties, 
and they are of the simplest kind ; but the people 
are satisfied with them, and do not wish for lux- 
uries. 

The Corvoites, particularly the women, are a happy 
and industrious people, have strong and healthful 
constitutions, and are capable of performing very 
hard labor. Their countenances are swarthy, most 
of their labor being conducted in the open air. 

The women are noted for their slovenliness and 
their red skirts. Most of their time is occupied in 
agricultural pursuits ; and they excel, in hardihood, 
endurance, and skill, many of the stronger sex, who 
are somewhat inclined to indolence. 

The men wear, generally, a suit of brown or 
gray coarse homespun wool, including a skull-cap ; 



PRIMITIVE CUSTOMS. 



37 



their coats reach almost to the ankles, and their feet, 
with a few exceptions, are bare. 

In trade they evince a remarkable shrewdness, pro- 
verbial among the Azoreans ; but in private affairs 
their manners are simple and unassuming, which 
has given rise to stories too ridiculous to be cred- 
ited or repeated. They are like one large family of 
little less than a thousand members, all living in 
the one only village upon the island. 

The community is so small that every one is 
known by the others, and though subject to all the 
evil passions of man's depraved heart, crimes are 
rarely committed by them. So friendly and unsus- 
pecting are they, that they contentedly retire to their 
beds of straw at night, leaving their doors unfastened, 
and sleep in perfect safety, ignorant, or rather un- 
mindful, of the midnight robberies and murders 
committed in other, more enlightened, quarters of 
the globe. 

They are so uncouth and Quaker-like, that were 
the king himself to visit the island, I believe they 
would thee and thou him as if he were one of their 
number. > 

Their houses, or rather cottages, — for they are all 
small, — are built of stone, and have no wooden 
floors ; most of them are ( roofed with tiles, though 
some are thatched with straw. They are all chim- 



33 



A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 



neyless, and few have any glass windows. They are 
built in tiers, one above the other, on the side of a 
hill. The lanes — for they are too narrow to be des- 
ignated streets — are stony and steep. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Flores. — Abundance of Water. — Santa Cruz. — Public 
Structures. — Roads. — Curious Mass of Lava. — Hot 
Spring. — Craters. — Sheep. — Dress. 

HAVING landed the passengers, we continued 
beating up against wind and tide towards 
Flores, my own native island, which is separated 
from Corvo by a channel about six miles in width. 
The wind freshened considerably, and blew directly 
in our faces, preventing our arrival at Santa Cruz 
till after dark. Thick weather then set in, accom- 
panied with rain ; and we were obliged to stand in 
the offing throughout the night, to my great dis- 
appointment, as I had anticipated sleeping under 
the family roof. 

I passed a most wretched night in my berth, 
wearying myself with various conjectures, and long- 
ing for the morrow, which would satisfy me in 
regard to them. 

At dawn, finding ourselves to the windward of 
the town of Santa Cruz, we soon made our way to 

(39) 



4 o 



A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 



it, and communicated with the shore, when all doubts 
as regarded kind remembrance or cordiality on the 
part of my early friends were immediately suc- 
ceeded by the happiest feelings. My relatives 
especially, whom death had spared, received me 
with the most unequivocal demonstrations of delight, 
which richly compensated me for my long absence 
from them. 

One thing I noticed, which, while it gave addi- 
tional joy, surprised me ; it was the very little change 
remarkable in the island and in the manners of the 
people. Had not the blanching hairs of some of 
my old friends borne testimony to the fact, I could 
scarcely have believed that eighteen years had elapsed 
since I heard my melodious language, and sympa- 
thized personally in their youthful joys and sorrows. 

When this island was discovered, it was so stud- 
ded with flowers of various kinds that the Portu- 
guese gave it the appropriate name of jFlores, which, 
in their language, signifies " flowers." 

Two centuries have elapsed since its first settle- 
ment — having been ceded, together with Corvo, as 
a grant to Dona Maria Vilhena. Its length is fif- 
teen miles by nine in breadth, and it contains about 
eleven thousand inhabitants. It is very mountainous, 
everywhere demonstrating the existence of volcanic 



ABUNDANCE OF WATER. 41 

eruptions at a former period, though there is no 
record of any having occurred since its discovery. 
It is considered by many the prettiest of the group ; 
but if not the prettiest, it certainly possesses a wild 
picturesqueness that is truly charming. With a soil 
of uncommon fertility, it produces all kinds of 
grain, sweet and common potatoes, onions, and an 
abundant supply of herbage, chief among which 
are the lupines, used as food for cattle, besides being 
good fertilizers in their green state ; and the twigs, 
when dry, are used for fuel. 

Besides a few orange plantations, and other fruit- 
trees, there are trees and shrubs of various kinds, 
such as the evergreens, fir, box, juniper, laurel, lau- 
ristinus, and cedar, which grow luxuriantly, and often 
conceal, with their thick foliage, the otherwise barren 
rocks, from the interstices of which they spring. The 
cedar is the most valuable of these, for it is suffi- 
ciently large for house-rafters and timbers of coast- 
ing-vessels, for which last purpose it is exported to 
the other islands. 

Water is very abundant, and of the purest qual- 
ity, intersecting the valleys in small, rapid streams, 
which often in their course turn the wheel of a neat, 
though primitive, little corn-mill. Sometimes these 
streams continue along the heights until they reach 
the rocks on the coast, from the lofty elevations of 



42 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

which they precipitate themselves in beautiful cas- 
cades into the ocean. 

The regular watering-place is at the landing in 
Santa Cruz, where the water has been brought by- 
means of clay pipes. However, irrespective of this 
place, vessels visiting the island for water can ob- 
tain a supply by sending out their casks in a boat, 
without having occasion to land ; and almost con- 
stantly women and children are here seen filling 
their vessels or washing their clothes, the latter im- 
portant operation being invariably performed out 
of doors. 

Santa Cruz, or Holy Cross, with twenty-eight hun- 
dred inhabitants, is the capital of Flores. It has a 
few long and straggling streets, most of them con- 
verging into a large square. The town covers a 
considerable space of ground, for fields sometimes 
intervene between the houses. These are all built 
of stone, having remarkably thick walls, and never 
exceeding two stories high, the majority having only 
one story. The first floor of the larger houses is 
seldom inhabited, being used for stores and work- 
shops. 

It may be well to state here that the same mate- 
rial for building houses is used in all the islands, 
and that nearly the same style of architecture is 
observed, excepting in the three cities of the group, 



SANTA CRUZ. 43 

where many of the dwellings are three and four 
stories high. Very few have door-bells ; so that, when 
you desire admittance, your knuckles are required 
to announce you ; or, if you prefer to be more stylish, 
you may clap your hands loudly. The entries are 
on the ground floor, from which a flight of stairs 
leads up to the apartments. These stairs, in many 
old-fashioned houses, are built of stone. 

A better location for a town could not very well 
be chosen, for the eastern side of the island is gen- 
erally inaccessible, the mountains rising precipitously 
out of the ocean. Here, however, a sheet of lava 
has flowed out into the sea, forming quite a level 
platform, about three miles in length and one in 
breadth, upon which the town is built. Three of 
the sides of this parallelogram are exposed to the 
sea, and the fourth is flanked by high mountains. 
The lava, having been subsequently covered with 
clay and vegetable earth, a rich and fruitful soil has 
been formed. The town is surrounded, or rather it 
is inlaid, in an expanse of corn and wheat fields. 
The sides of the parallelogram facing the sea bear 
indubitable marks of former volcanic ravages ; in 
some places the cliffs begirting this portion of the 
island are very high, but in others much lower. 
Apparently the whole of this rests upon a sheet of 
black lava, the lowest visible layer of its composite 



44 



A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 



parts ; and it seems as if, when this lava had run 
into the sea in a melted state, it was stopped, 
cooled, and shaped into every conceivable variety 
of jagged, rough, and irregular rocks, amongst 
which the sea now rolls with almost unceasing 
fury. 

As regards public buildings, there are but two in 
the town sufficiently attractive to induce strangers 
to visit them. The more important one is the large 
church, an object always sure to arrest the attention 
of the approaching traveller. It is built in the 
Moorish style, as are all the churches in the group, 
and if not artistically beautiful, it is certainly im- 
posing in its massive grandeur. The interior is 
simple, and remains apparently unfinished, for the 
builders of such a temple must have intended to 
have all its parts correspond. The only features 
observable in the interior, thus far, which appear to 
accord with its outside magnificence, are the immense 
square pillars upon which rest the heavy arches 
supporting the roof* 

The Franciscan monastery is the other building 
worthy of notice. It is now in an almost ruinous 
state ; the cloisters which once resounded with the 
voices of the friars are to-day silent, and the cells 
which witnessed their solitary devotions are now 
either filled with rubbish or inhabited by private 



PUBLIC STRUCTURES. 



45 



families. The church connected with this convent 
was formerly a splendid building, richly decorated 
with fine paintings and gildings, but now partially 
decayed through age and neglect. 

Another place of interest in the town is a wharf, 
or dock, that is in progress of construction, to the 
northward of the present landing-place. The work 
was commenced about three years ago, and it will 
be two or three more before it can be completed ; 
though in a case of great necessity it could be 
made use of now. It is intended for mooring but 
one vessel at a time. The whole fabric is of stone, 
cemented together, and rests upon a foundation built 
by Nature. The place, at first sight, does not ap- 
pear very inviting, for the water which forms it is 
in the shape of an elongated triangle that runs into 
the island for about an eighth of a mile. The sides 
are perpendicular cliffs, some two hundred feet high, 
except where the pier runs out, from which an 
inclined road leads circuitously to the town. With 
less expense, a better place could have been built 
where the present landing is ; but this spot was 
chosen through the intrigues and influence of one 
or two individuals who had property in that vi- 
cinity. 

Many vessels, among them some transports, put 
in here every year for water and provisions, which 



46 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

are quite cheap ; sometimes the purchases made by 
the captain of one vessel alone amount to a thousand 
dollars. 

Santa Cruz, though the best place, is not the only 
one, for vessels to visit. There are three others, 
which, with Santa Cruz, face the cardinal points 
of the compass ; so that when a vessel cannot stop 
at one place on account of the wind, and surf upon 
the coast, it generally can at another. 

The roads of the island, especially those that lead 
from one village to another, are of the most rugged 
kind, narrow, and in many places but mere passages 
worn among the rocks. The peasantry, however, 
travel over them with their naked feet, apparently 
with as much facility as if walking over a bowling- 
green. 

In the valley where stands the village of Lagedo 
there is a huge isolated mass of lava, not much 
unlike a rude monument erected by the powerful 
hand of Nature. As it is too large to have been 
carried down by a flood, it may be supposed that 
some volcano shot it out from the bowels of the 
earth like a rocket, which, when it descended upon 
the valley, came with such force as to be rooted 
there forever. Another such, but smaller rock, is 
also to be observed in a deep gully behind the town 
of Santa Cruz. 



HOT SPRING. CRATERS. 



47 



By a very difficult foot-path that leads down from 
this village to the sea-shore, you descend to a sul- 
phurous hot spring near the water's edge. There is 
neither a bath-house nor a place to build one in 
the neighborhood of the spring ; but those who take 
baths stop at the village above, and have the water 
brought up to them, when the surf upon the coast 
does not prevent its being reached. The water re- 
tains the heat so long, that the length of time taken 
for its conveyance to the village makes no percepti- 
ble change in its temperature. 

In the interior of the island there are three extinct 
craters : the smallest one is perfectly round, full of 
water, with a circumference of about three miles. 
Along the borders, some ten or fifteen feet from the 
sloping banks, is a wide belt of long, thick grass, 
or kelp, growing up from the bottom, which serves 
as a barrier to intruding swimmers. It is often 
resorted to by pleasure-parties in summer, as the 
scenery around is delightful to the lover of the beau- 
tiful in Nature. 

The second very much resembles the first, but is 
larger ; it is separated from the third by a narrow 
belt of land ; and it is so full, that in winter, when 
heavy rains fall, it overflows into its neighbor. 

The last is a crater several hundred feet deep, the 
sides of which are very steep, and covered with the 



48 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

dark-green foliage of the shrubs and underbrush so 
indigenous to the island. At the bottom there is 
a body of water that washes the almost perpendic- 
ular sides of the crater. Its color is of an inky 
darkness, derived from its great depth and the deep- 
green tint of its sides. A descent to the bottom is 
impracticable ; and a body falling, if not intercepted 
by some projecting bush or jutting rock, would light 
upon the dark waters of this dismal lake. An in- 
voluntary shudder creeps over one as he contem- 
plates this dark and deep abyss, and speculates upon 
its origin and formation. The general supposition 
is, that there is some secret outlet; for the water -in 
it, it is said, never rises or falls, notwithstanding 
the reception of the superfluous waters from its 
neighbor and the surrounding country. 

The country about here consists mostly of marshy 
ground, with some high hills difficult to traverse. 
Great piles of firewood are seen here and there, 
brought from great distances on men's backs, and 
afterwards drawn hence by cattle into the eastern 
and southern villages. 

Sheep are abundant, for grass never fails here ; 
and cattle are also quite numerous. The sheep are 
small, and seldom used for food, their wool being 
of more value to the inhabitants, who manufacture 
it extensively. They belong to different proprietors, 



SHEEP. DRESS. 



49 



although they feed promiscuously in the wilderness. 
For distinction's sake, they are marked by having their 
ears slit, bored, or cut, or by painted spots upon their 
bodies, according to the fancy of their owners. 
When shearing-time arrives, the proprietors proceed 
to an appointed place, previous notice having been 
given ; and collecting all the sheep within one pen 
or more, each one shears his own. When about to 
breed, they are either penned up or brought to their 
doors to be taken care of. Afterwards, when the 
young have attained a proper age, they are marked, 
and let loose in the wilderness to roam where they 
list. 

Regarding the dress of the people of this island, 
I will state that both sexes of the higher class 
dress in the same style, apparently, as the people 
of the American cities ; but amongst the middle and 
lower classes a considerable difference is noticeable. 
The women generally wear a handkerchief, white 
or colored, cotton or silk, over their heads, and tied 
under their chins, somewhat resembling an inverted 
rigolette ; a shawl or cloak over the shoulders, sub- 
stituted in many instances by a doubled skirt, either 
of calico or home-made woollen stuff of a dark-blue 
color, with a checkered or striped band around the 
bottom, and a binding of the same on the placket- 
4 



5o 



A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 



hole. The skirt is worn so that the placket-hole 
comes outside, between the shoulders. They some- 
times, though rarely, wear a veil over the head, 
and display a parasol when going to church on a 
Sunday. 



CHAPTER V. 

Fayal. — Climate. — Horta. — Sea Wall. — Public Buildings 
and Institutions. — The Caldeira. — Flamengos. — Vol- 
canic Eruptions and Earthquakes. 

MY engagements with the master of the vessel 
compelled me to pursue the voyage to the 
other islands, so that my stay at home was, at least 
for the present, but of short duration. 

Having transacted our business as expeditiously 
as practicable, we availed ourselves of a favorable 
breeze, which soon took us out of sight of Flores 
and Corvo, the northern outposts, as it were, of the 
archipelago. 

Traversing one hundred and twenty miles was the 
work of but a few hours for our smart little craft. 
This distance brought us under the shores of one 
of the loveliest spots on earth — Fayal. This sig- 
nificant name means " a beech forest," and is derived 
from fay a, a species of that tree, which completely 
covered the island at the time of its discovery, and 
is still found in great abundance. 

(51) 



52 



A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 



The length of Fayal is fifteen miles by twelve in 
breadth, and its population about twenty-four thou- 
sand souls ■ — the city alone containing ten thousand 
of these. 

The climate is very fine, and it is the general 
opinion that it surpasses that of all the other islands 
of the group. The air is mild and pure, the cold 
of winter seldom felt, and the heat of summer al- 
ways tempered by refreshing sea breezes. The soil 
is rich and fertile. Aside from butter and other 
native productions shipped to Lisbon, the expor- 
tation of oranges is the most important ; with this 
fruit some fifteen to twenty vessels are loaded yearly 
for the English market. 

To enter the harbor of this delightful island, it is 
necessary to sail by either extremity of Pico, which 
lies in full view of the city of Horta, and whose tower- 
ing sugar-loaf-shaped summit pierces the clouds, and 
presents an ever-varying aspect to the Fayalenses, 
who, perhaps from the familiarity of the scene, do 
not appreciate its beauty as a stranger can, though 
they watch it as a natural and never-failing ba- 
rometer. 

The city spreads itself throughout the circumfer- 
ence of the bay, retreating upon the heights, where 
several villas and country-houses show themselves 
above fruitful trees and flowering, shrubs, adding 



CHAPTER VI. 

Departure from Fayal. — Pico. — Its apparent Sterility. — 
The Vineyards. — Appearance of the Clouds on the Cone. 
— Volcanic Eruptions and Earthquakes. 

IT was nearly dark when we weighed anchor and 
set sail. Our destination was St. George, which, 
though plainly in sight from the harbor of Horta, 
we did not reach until very early in the morning 
of the next day, on account of contrary winds. 

While we were beating up our way to the town 
of Velas, we had to approach the shores of Pico, 
which lie from four to five miles to the eastward, 
and in full view of the city of Horta. This island 
I visited in my boyish days, while residing at Fayal ; 
a period of my life fraught with many pleasant 
events, which, summoned by memory after so long 
a lapse of years, were clothed in so dim an aspect, 
that I almost doubted whether they were dreams or 
realities. 

Pico, as previously stated, rears its remarkable 
peak seven thousand five hundred and sixty feet 

(61) 



62 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

above the level of the sea. This volcanic mountain, 
the smoke from which in clear days can be seen 
— though by sharper eyes than mine — ascending 
to the skies, gives its name to the island. The 
height of the peak, which is so regular that one 
would think it had been made by art, is such, that 
it can be descried at a distance of eighty miles 
when the atmosphere is clear. Sometimes, however, 
it is so thickly enveloped in clouds, that its existence 
might be doubted from, even so short a distance as 
Fayal is. 

The greatest length of Pico is about forty-eight 
miles, with a breadth of fifteen, gradually narrowing 
to the south-east, where it terminates in an acute 
angle. It contains thirty thousand inhabitants. The 
soil being stony, little grain is produced ; so that a 
great portion of the wheat and corn consumed is 
imported from the neighboring islands. Wine, the 
best of the Azores, was, before the blight of the 
vines developed itself, the staple commodity. Its 
exportation then amounted to nearly a hundred thou- 
sand barrels yearly ; now, scarcely as many gallons. 
Cattle are numerous and excellent. Fruit of manyv 
kinds is no less abundant than good. The welfare 
of this island is so linked with that of Fayal, that 
one could not very well be independent of the other. 

The base of the mountain appears, when seen 



SEA WALL. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 53 

much to the beauty of the scene. Here and there, 
churches, built in the same Moorish style common 
to all the islands, relieve the uniformity of the scene, 
and increase the beauty of the whole. 

The landing-place consists of a neat though small 
wharf, built of flag-stones upon the, solid rocks pro- 
jecting from under the ramparts of a fort tolerably 
well garrisoned, about the middle of the half-moon- 
shaped sand-beach that skirts the city. 

Above this sand-beach, and along the whole front 
of the city, there is a high and substantial stone 
wall, protecting the latter from the ocean, which 
often rolls and thunders against it. It is a great 
bulwark, for there is but a street between it and 
the first line of houses, many of which are built 
upon sandy foundations. In some localities, during 
severe storms, the sea spray breaks over the houses, 
while they oscillate as reeds before a gentle zephyr. 

Built as the city is upon rising ground, the houses 
and public buildings are seen to great advantage. 
Among the latter is the convent and college of the 
Jesuits, with a church in the centre. It is the most 
conspicuous building in the city, possesses consid- 
erable architectural merit, and has a truly imposing 
and magnificent appearance. The interior, like that 
of all the large churches of the Azores, is divided 
by two rows of massive pillars supporting the roof. 



54 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

Besides the high altar, which faces the door, there 
are six others, dedicated to the honor of different 
saints ; some of these are finely gilded, and all con- 
tain good specimens of architectural sculpture. The 
college and convent, now used for all the civil gov- 
ernment offices, are simple, plain, lofty buildings, 
forming the wings to the church. 

The Carmelite Church is another large building, 
situated upon a prominent hill, with a convent at- 
tached, which is now used as barracks for the sol- 
diery of the garrison. From the open space in front 
of this church a near and yery fine view of the city 
is obtained. 

The building now used as a hospital was formerly 
the Franciscan Convent, and is connected with an- 
other spacious church, which is also richly orna- 
mented and gilded in the interior, far surpassing in 
this particular all the other churches at Fayal. The 
square pillars supporting four arches on each side, 
besides the low one upon which rests the music 
gallery, are rather slender compared with others ; 
therefore devoid of that extremely massive appear- 
ance so generally observed in this class of buildings. 
There are nine altars in all. The three facing the 
doors are entirely gilded, as well as the ceilings ; they 
are at the farther end of what we may call chapels, 
the central one being the largest. In this one there 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS. 



55 



are several scriptural paintings filling up the squares, 
made by heavy mouldings intersecting the ceiling at 
right angles. The design of each of the altars is dif- 
ferent, so that, though uniformity in general outward 
appearances is kept, there is a great variety of skil- 
ful workmanship to be studied and admired. 

The small convent formerly occupied by the order 
of • St. Anthony is now used as an asylum for des- 
titute girls between the ages of eight and sixteen; 
years. The government furnishes the building only, 
and private charity relieves its necessities. They are 
educated here in all branches pertaining to female 
domestic work; also in reading, writing, and em- 
broidery ; and as they complete their education, they 
are taken into service by respectable private fam- 
ilies, who are laid under judicial obligation to treat 
them well and kindly. The institution supports fif- 
teen girls constantly. The church connected with 
this building is small and plain. 

There are several other churches and chapels, in 
the city, but they are all of lesser consideration to 
the notice of a stranger. Amongst these is the nun- 
nery, where there is but one sister besides the abbess, 
both septuagenarians. 

The reader has probably seen from my remarks 
that all the convents are now used for some benev- 
olent or useful purpose; and the question may nat- 



56 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

urally arise in his mind, What became of the former 
inmates of these institutions? 

The answer is, that they were expelled, or the 
communities suppressed, by Dom Pedro IV., in 1834, 
and the buildings and all their real estate appropri- 
ated by the government then, or at a subsequent 
time, as we have seen not only at Flores and Fayal, 
but throughout the group, where existed twenty-three 
convents for males, and twenty- two for females. 
Twelve years before their expulsion, there existed 
in the whole kingdom four hundred religious houses, 
with ^eleven thousand two hundred and seventy-three 
inmates of both sexes. The majority of these re- 
mained recipients of a government pension during 
their natural lives, — a heavy tax, indeed, for a small 
country with limited resources, especially when we 
consider that many of these are still pensioners. 

Those who now take the pleasure of walking 
through the paths intersecting a pleasant green mall 
upon the hill on the north-western suburb of the 
city little think they are standing upon the spot 
where once existed the first church built in Horta, 
partly destroyed many years ago by lightning. No 
vestige now remains of the former building except 
the square tower, where the clock is placed. ' 

On the western side of this mall, separated only 
by a street, is the Public Garden. It is a small 



THE CALDEIRA. 



57 



place, but prettily laid out, with a green monticule 
in the centre. A winding foot-path around it leads 
to the top, where is an octagon-house for shelter 
to visitors, but which I never found open. The gar- 
den has many pretty flowers in the summer, and is 
by no means destitute of them in winter ; every- 
thing looks fresh and green even in December. 

Upon the spot now occupied by this garden, and 
the cattle market, separated from it on the south 
side by another street, once existed a church ded- 
icated to St. John, with a nunnery attached, the 
last inmate of which is one of the septuagenarians 
already mentioned. 

The markets are not remarkable, but partake of 
that peculiarity of the country which makes them, 
perhaps, interesting to a visitor, though not so in 
a description. Many little things to be enjoyed must 
be seen, and with an eye upon their surroundings. 

The most remarkable natural curiosity at Fayal 
is the Caldeira, an immense quiescent crater, upon 
the extreme height of the island. Its distance from 
the city is about ten miles. Leaving the city be- 
hind you to the east, you enter a richly cultivated 
valley, with orange groves and verdant fields inter- 
spersed with white cottages and houses, extending 
for a mile or two on either side of the road. This 
is the picturesque village of Flamengos, which, tra- 



^8 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

dition says, was originally settled by the Flemish — 
a very probable conjecture, were we to judge from 
what the name indicates. The best time to visit the 
Caldeira is in summer ; and very desirable it is to 
arrive there early enough in the morning to see the 
clouds evolving and revolving as they issue out of 
this immense caldron or basin. 

The circumference at the top of this huge cavity 
is about six miles, which gradually decreases to a 
third of that at the bottom. Its depth is about four 
thousand feet, and a communication with the sea is 
supposed to exist. The only place to make a descent 
to the bottom is a rocky and tortuous water-course, 
often apparently terminating in abrupt projections, 
from which you have to jump or fall, according to 
your agility. Arriving at the bottom, and casting 
your eyes upwards, you can enjoy the questionable 
pleasure of contemplating the difficulty of an ascent. 
The surface at the bottom is undulating, and in a 
measure boggy. On one side there is a body of 
water, which, during part of the summer, forms two 
lakes, where are found gold and silver fish. On 
the other side there is a miniature volcanic moun- 
tain, of considerable height, with a cavity also in its 
summit, but the whole entirely covered with ever- 
greens. All the surroundings are calculated to in- 
spire one with sublime awe. He may conjecture 



VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AND EARTHQUAKES. 59 

what mysterious agency once filled this large vacu- 
um with burning matter ; how it has so totally dis- 
appeared ; by what causes it may be reproduced ; 
or where it may be now raging. But, speculate as 
he may, he cannot but reverently admire the power of 
Him who governs the world, and wonder at the 
mighty agencies invisibly employed by Him. 

Fayal has been many times subjected to severe 
volcanic explosions since its discovery — the follow- 
ing being the most notable. In 1672, from the 12th 
until the 24th of April, the island was shaken to 
its very foundations by violent- earthquakes, which 
increased in power until the last day, when the 
burning lava belched forth from nine apertures in 
the heights between Praia do Norte and Capello. 
A stream of this destructive fluid, one hundred and 
fifty fathoms wide, made its way to the sea, carrying 
away and destroying trees, houses, cattle, and every- 
thing that resisted its progress. 

On the 9th of July, 1757, it was again shaken by 
earthquakes, that were felt throughout the archipel- 
ago, excepting, it is said, Flores and Corvo. 

Again, in 1759, from the 24th of December until 
the 2 2d of April of the following year, it was sub- 
jected to such violent and continued shocks, that the 
inhabitants took refuge in tents, and abandoned their 
houses, none of which, however, were thrown down. 



60 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

A similar occurrence again took place in 1863, 
commencing in the middle of September, and con- 
tinuing until the latter part of December. Some 
days the oscillation was constant, with occasional 
violent shocks. The inhabitants again recurred to 
their tents ; and fortunately, as before, no buildings 
were injured. 

An interesting anecdote in connection with this 
affair was related to me. A party of gentlemen 
were playing the voltarete, a game in which the 
trump is made, after the cards are dealt, by begging 
leave. On this occasion the gentleman who had the 
best hand said, "I beg leave." "Granted by the 
table," said the dealer. Scarcely had he finished 
his sentence when such a violent shock occurred 
that he and two others left their cards upon the 
table, and precipitately ran out of doors. Some time 
after the shock had subsided, they re'entered, and 
took their seats. The one who had remained, as 
imperturbably as if nothing had happened, turned to 
them and said, " Diamonds are trumps ; " and the 
game proceeded. 

As our stay at Fayal only embraced a few hours, 
and as I subsequently returned there to make a 
lengthened visit, I forbear saying anything more 
about this lovely island for the present. 



APPARENT STERILITY OF PICO. 



63 



from a distance, to be covered with a coarse black 
net-work, which might be easily mistaken for a trel- 
lis-work of dark wood for training the vines. But 
as you approach the shore, and objects become more 
visible, this trellis-work is seen to consist of low 
stone walls of black lava, dividing the vineyards 
into small compartments, the meshes, as it were, of 
the net-work which had appeared to overspread the 
mountain. 

To the eye of a stranger it appears almost as 
singular a phenomenon, that green vines and fresh 
grapes should be produced from the barren stones 
of this mountain, as that pure water should gush 
out of a rock. Wherever you cast your eye, hardly 
anything but stones meets your view. Scarcely 
any vegetable soil is apparent in the vineyards. If 
Pico had been the original heap of cinders around 
Vulcan's furnace, it could hardly be blacker than 
are the stones and lava among which the vines are 
planted. Imagine the refuse of a stone-quarry spread 
over the foot of a mountain divided by walls some 
two feet high, of the same material, and then fancy 
a single vine, just sprouting, planted in the centre 
of each division, and the whole vineyard, of twen- 
ty or thirty acres, surrounded by a high wall 
of loosely-piled stones, and an idea may be had 
of what a Pico vineyard really is in May — 



64 ^ TRIP TO TEE AZORES. 

very different, indeed, from what it is two months 
later. 

The surface of the cone of Pico is divided, as the 
ascending traveller will find, into three distinctly 
marked-out terraces, tfre first of which extends from 
the sea-shore to the upper limits of the vineyards. 
The ascent is so gradual, as to appear from the 
shore a gently-inclined plain. The second stage 
reaches from this to the base of the upper cone. 
The space, much steeper than the first, is covered 
with shrubs, dwarf trees, and green pastures. Taro, 
potatoes, beans, and grain are cultivated here. The 
third stage is the precipitous cone in which the 
mountain terminates : this is entirely uncultivated, 
and in the winter is often covered with snow for 
several days. 

The deficiencies in the natural beauties of this 
mountain, most noticeable in the ascent, are the want 
of timber trees, and the absence of streams or brooks, 
with their waterfalls. These seeming evils, how- 
ever, are fully counterbalanced by the enjoyment of 
the lovely sea views, in combination with the inde- 
scribable prospects of the neighboring islands, and 
the boundless variety of clouds with which the peak 
is shrouded, either above or below you. 

These clouds sometimes look like solemn masses 
of unillumined vapor, sickly mists, or compact, 



VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AND EARTHQUAKES. 65 

pearly heaps of snow ; at other times they sport the 
richest and most gaudy coloring ; and in an evening 
light appear tinted with bronze or crimson, or gilded 
and purpled with lavish splendor. But whatever 
their hues may be, the aspect of the whole moun- 
tain is ever changing in a greater or less degree, 
so that there can be little wonder at the common 
remark of those who know, th,at the cone scarcely 
ever looks twice the same ; for as long as the clouds 
remain, and the sun shines, the expression of the 
mountain must be ever-varying, though its features 
are unaltered. 

This island, like its neighbors, has been unfortu- 
nate as regards volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. 
In 1572, near Prainha, on the north side, a volcano 
broke out, from which a stream of lava half a league 
wide desolated everything before it for six miles, 
and then plunged into the sea. Tradition, says, the 
light from this volcano was seen as far as St. Mi- 
chael, a distance of one hundred miles. In 171 8 and 
1 719 there were destructive eruptions, and in 1720 
one from the tall cone, which proved the most se- 
vere ; the emission of flames and burning lava con- 
tinued, working its desolation) for six months ; ashes 
and stones were blown over at intervals, during this 
time, as far as St. George. 
5 



CHAPTER VII. 

St. George. — Landing-place . — Productions. — Velas. — Vol- 
canic Eruptions. — A Town swept away. — Imminent 
Danger of Shipwreck. 

SEPARATED from Fayal by a channel fifteen 
miles wide, and stretching itself to the east- 
ward along the shores of Pico, lies the island of St. 
George, first settled by the Flemish. Its length is 
thirty-six miles, while its breadth does not exceed 
six, and it has a population of about twenty thou- 
sand. 

It was Sunday morning, when, under squally and 
showery weather, we were boarded by a shore boat, 
in which the captain and myself went to enter the 
vessel at the custom-house. The landing-place bears 
marks of having been a tolerably good one in times 
of yore ; now it is dilapidated, and the steps which 
you are obliged to ascend are little better than slip- 
pery rocks. 

Vestiges of former fortifications are visible all 
along in front of the town, which, aided by Nature, 

(66) 



LANDING-PLACE. PRODUCTIONS. 67 

must have rendered a hostile landing impracticable. 
A ruined gateway, overhanging the steps, gives ad- 
mittance to the town, which consists of a few strag- 
gling streets, laid out in keeping with the irregularities 
Nature has so abundantly scattered in this region. 

On the left of the town, as you look seaward, the 
island rises precipitously to a great height. Its abrupt 
ascent does not prevent its culture, however, for it 
is cut up into little patches to accommodate its nat- 
ural ruggedness. On the other side and rear of the 
town, good arable land, though mountainous, forms 
the principal feature. A considerably large square 
in the central part of the town is the prettiest thing 
to be noticed, from which, if you look up and around, 
your imagination might lead you to suppose that 
you were at the bottom of an extinct crater, one 
half of which had been torn down centuries ago by 
the force of the fiery elements within it. 

This island produces, and exports to England, 
oranges of a good quality, and is famous for its 
cattle. The cheese made here is the best of the 
Azores, and compares well with the English and 
American. Butter is made in such quantities, that, 
in 1864, one house alone in Lisbon received twenty 
thousand dollars' worth of this article in consign- 
ments. 

The town of Velas, on the side facing Pico, is 



68 A TRIP TO TEE AZORES. 

the capital — a small, old-fashioned, woe-begone, des- 
olate-looking place, with grass growing in the streets, 
and devoid of ordinary animation. At least, such 
was my impression during my two visits there. It 
may be that under this apparent apathy there is some 
progressive under-current, or, which is the more 
likely, that the activity of the inhabitants develops 
itself mostly in the agriculture of their fields ; hence 
the seeming desertion of the town. 

St. George has probably suffered as much from vol- 
canic eruptions and earthquakes as any other island 
in the group, though I find but two of the former 
recorded. In 1580, near the town of Velas, one broke 
out, which ejected for several days burning lava, that 
found its way to the sea, as usual ; but the more 
remarkable and destructive one was that of 1808. 

On the 1st of May of that year, a terrific vol- 
cano burst out near the centre of the island, in the 
midst of fertile pastures, and some nine miles south- 
east of Velas. In two days, cinders and small pum- 
ice-stones were thrown, and propelled southerly by 
a strong north-east wind, which, independent of the 
mass accumulated around the crater, covered the 
earth from one to four feet in depth, a mile and a 
half in width, and three miles in length; then, pass- 
ing the channel, injured to some extent the eastern 
end of Pico. The fire had nearly subsided on the 3d, 



VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AND EARTHQUAKES. 69 

when the discovery was made that a crater had been 
formed, occupying the space of about twenty-four 
acres ; but in the preceding evening another smaller 
crater had opened, three miles nearer Velas. Within 
a mile of this crater the earth was rent in every 
direction, and its sulphurous smoke rendered an 
approach to the larger one impracticable. The fire 
seemed struggling for vent, as if kept down by 
the narrowness of the crater, which was only about 
fifty yards in circumference. The force with which a 
pale-blue flame rushed out resembled that of a power- 
ful steam-engine multiplied a hundred-fold ; the noise 
was deafening ; and the whole island seemed as if 
laboring under a powerful paroxysm ; hollow bel- 
lowings from the bowels of the earth were heard 
from time to time, accompanied by frequent earth- 
quakes. The inhabitants quitted their houses, and 
remained in the open air or under tents. 

On the 5th and succeeding days, from twelve to 
fifteen small volcanoes broke out in the fields from 
the chasms already mentioned, and poured forth a 
quantity of lava, which travelled on slowly towards 
Velas. The fire of these small craters subsided, and 
the lava ceased running, about the nth of May ; when 
the large volcano, which had been quiescent for nine 
days, burst out again, like a roaring lion, with hor- 
rid belchings, distinctly heard at a distance of thirty 



7o 



A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 



miles, throwing up immense stones, and such a 
stream of burning lava that it illuminated the whole 
island at night. This continued with unabated fury 
until the 5th of June, exhibiting the terrific yet mag- 
nificent spectacle of a perfect river of fire running 
into the sea, and distinctly seen from Fayal. Its 
force then decreased, until it ceased entirely a few 
days after. The elevation of the crater above the 
level of the sea was about thirty-five hundred feet. 
The lava inundated and swept away the town of Ur- 
sulina, country-houses and cottages adjacent, as well 
as everything throughout its course. As usual, it 
gave timely notice of its approach, and the most 
prudent of the inhabitants fled ; some few, however, 
whose anxiety to save their small effects was stronger 
than their prudence and judgment, were scalded by 
flashes of steam, which, without injuring their clothes, 
not only took off their skin, but their flesh also. 
About sixty persons thus miserably suffered, some 
of whom died upon the spot, or in a few days after. 
Great numbers of cattle shared the same fate. It 
is not surprising that the consternation and anx- 
iety of the people were so great that even their 
domestic concerns were abandoned, and that, amidst 
plenty, they were in danger of starving. Supplies 
of bread were sent from Fayal for their immediate 
relief, and boats to bring away those of the inhab* 



VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AND EARTHQUAKES. 71 

itants who had been rendered destitute by this great 
calamity. The island, heretofore rich in cattle, corn, 
and wine, presented such a scene of desolation and 
distress as has never been witnessed but in coun- 
tries subject to such inflictions from the hand of the 
Mighty One. 

♦ 
The bulk of our cargo being lumber, for which, 

thus far, we had had no market, we left St. George 
for St. Michael in order to dispose of it. The for- 
mer island and Pico, being each several miles long, 
and lying at a distance from one another of nine 
miles, form a long channel, out of which we had 
to beat our way to proceed on our voyage. 

This gave us an opportunity to see the shores of 
both islands, and enjoy their scenery, which partook 
of the beautiful and sublime, yet suggested some- 
thing of the awful on contemplating those portions 
where the vestiges of devastating volcanic agencies 
were unmistakable, and the precipitousness of the 
rocks, which seemed to rise abruptly from the ocean 
as barriers to its own ravages, yet frowning inev- 
itable destruction to the incautious navigator who 
dared approach too near. Such came very near 
being our fate, as at night, through carelessness, we 
almost struck upon them, when the rumbling noise 



72 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

of the waves was most appalling to our ears, and 
fear rendered us nearly speechless. 

Had it not been for the sailing capacities of our 
craft, no human power could have saved us from 
being dashed upon those bleak, towering rocks, 
which had not a crag to serve as foothold, whereby 
we might be saved from a watery grave. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Graciosa. — Terceira. — Loyalty of its Inhabitants. — Ex- 
tinct Volcanoes. — Angra. — Monte Brazil. — Fortifica- 
tions. — Public Buildings. — Praya da Victoria. — Its 
repeated Destruction by Earthquakes. 

PASSING out of the channel between St. George 
and Pico, and leaving them behind, we can 
see Graciosa still farther off in the rear, appearing, 
from its peculiar configuration, like two little islands. 
On our left, as we proceed, Terceira is discerned 
in the distance. I devote this chapter to a descrip- 
tion of the last two islands, although they were not 
visited by us in this trip, for the simple reason that 
they could not furnish us so many emigrants as the 
others ; the principal object we had in view, besides 
the sale of lumber, being to obtain as many passen- 
gers as we could. 

The discoverers of Graciosa, impressed by its 
romantic beauty, appropriately bestowed upon it the 

(73) 



74 .-4 TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

name it now bears. It lies northward of St. George, 
and can be seen from some points of Fayal. 

Its first settlers went from Terceira, the island 
with which it has most intercourse at the present 
day. The population is about twelve thousand. It 
is one of the most fertile of the Azores, and, though 
small, — being only twelve miles long by six broad, 
— produces an almost incredible quantity of barley, 
wheat, and maize, with all kinds of fruit and vege- 
tables. Wood, though, is very scarce, being chiefly 
imported from the neighboring islands. Before the 
blight attacked the vines, Graciosa produced consid- 
erable ordinary wine, from which a brandy called 
aguardente (burning water) was distilled and ex- 
ported. 

In the interior of this island there is a large and 
interesting crater ; but I have found no records of 
any eruption since its discovery. , 

Terceira, so called from being the third one dis- 
covered, was settled in 1450. Its shape is oval, 
with a length of twenty-one miles, and a breadth of 
twelve ; and it contains about forty-two thousand 
inhabitants. It forms the eastern extremity of the 
central cluster of the group, and ranks first in the 
political history of the Azores. 

Three separate times has this island shown stead- 



TERCEIRA. ITS LOYALTY. 75 

fast loyalty to her rightful sovereign, as long and 
well as it was possible with its limited powers. 

After the popular acclamation of Dom Antonio, 
Prior of Crato, Philip II. of Spain forcibly contested 
the throne, to which there had been nine pretenders, 
and usurped it. Terceira resisted his power bravely 
for nearly three years ; but at last, in 1583, she suc- 
cumbed to the overpowering Spanish fleet of ninety 
sail, that attacked her under the command of the 
then famous Alvaro de Bazan, Marquis of Santa 
Cruz. 

After an unwilling submission of fifty-eight years 
to the hated Castilian rule, Dom Joao IV. was pro- 
claimed as he had been in Portugal, and the Span- 
iards were expelled from the island after a contest 
of eleven months and five days. As a tribute of 
gratitude, the city of Angra has ever since borne 
the honorable title of " ever loyal," bestowed upon 
her by royal command. 

The third struggle, which resulted no less glori- 
ously for Terceira, but more especially for Angra do 
Heroismo (literally, the Bay of Heroism), was in- 
augurated on the 22d of June, 1828, when the cit- 
izens declared themselves for the rightful sovereign, 
Dona Maria II., against the despotic usurpation of the 
regent, her uncle Dom Miguel, who was finally over- 
thrown, and expelled from the kingdom, six years 



76 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

after. The struggle in the Azores, however, did not 
last so long. The Terceirans stood on the defen- 
sive for two years and a half, and then took the 
offensive so successfully that the whole archipelago 
was freed from the tyrant's power in less than four 
months. 

When this island was discovered, it was richly 
clothed with beech trees, cedar, laurel, juniper, fir, 
spruce, box, and lauristinus. This abundance of 
wood and trees, however, is at present considerably 
diminished, particularly in the vicinity of the towns. 
Aside from what is imported from Pico, the fire- 
wood is brought from great distances. 

There is scarcely a hill, mountain, or valley, that 
does not show marks of an extinct volcano. It 
seems as if in former ages the elements had con- 
spired to attempt the destruction of this island, and 
had made it the theatre of their wonderful conflicts. 
Inundations have often essayed to wash it away from 
the face of the earth, as evidenced by deep grottoes 
and caverns ; violent earthquakes have shaken it to 
the very foundations; but fire, the most terrible and 
powerful of enemies, has surpassed all these, deter- 
mined, apparently, to burn and reduce it to a heap 
of ashes, — such would be the natural conclusion 
on seeing the many volcanized soils that are en- 
countered. 



EXTINCT VOLCANOES. ANORA. 77 

The ledge, or volcanic soil, of Feteira, is the most 
extensive and remarkable. The volcano that formed 
this stratum apparently burst in Terra Brava ; the 
lava spread to the Pico da Cruz, whence it diverged 
in two directions — one branch running to the sea, 
and the other to Lages, where it formed another 
stratum, now covered with vineyards and houses ; in 
fact, it is only one amongst many remarkable cal- 
deiras to be found upon the island. There are two 
other similar places, no less worthy of notice, which 
formed black lava terraces, now also covered by 
vineyards and fruit trees. In one of these, many 
large caverns or volcanic chambers of the same kind 
of lava are met with. Still the only volcanic erup- 
tion known to have occurred since the discovery of 
the island took place on the 17th of April, 1761, 
near the peak of Bagacina, where the lava ran for 
more than three miles. 

Near the centre of the island, on the road from 
the city to the village Biscoutos, there is a crater 
called Furna do Enxofre (Sulphurous Cavern), so 
named from the sulphur it contains. The smoke 
and hot steam that issue from apertures on the 
ground, and the decomposed state of the stones and 
earth adjacent, prove the existence of constant sub- 
terranean fires. 

Angra, an episcopal city ever since 1534, and with 



78 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

a population of about fourteen thousand souls, is the 
capital of Terceira. It is celebrated not only for 
its being many years the seat of government of the 
Azores, but also for its having been the temporary 
residence of three crowned heads — Dom Antonio, 
Dom AfTonso VI., and Dom Pedro IV. It is well 
fortified, and has many fine buildings. It is built 
upon rising ground, encircled by well-cultivated de- 
clivities, terminating upon high mountains, and pre- 
sents a beautiful and picturesque appearance when 
seen from the sea. 

Monte Brazil, the pride and boast of the Angren- 
ses, is a small peninsula, about three miles in cir- 
cumference, and connected with the island by an 
isthmus five hundred yards wide. It forms the Bay 
of Angra on the east, and that of Fanal on the west 
side. There are four separate peaks upon this pen- 
insula, forming a circular valley between , them, 
which is called the Caldeira. This is the crater of 
an extinct volcano, but now in a high state of cul- 
tivation. The most towering of the peaks, where 
is a signal station, is nearly six hundred feet high. 
On account of its steep sides, this peninsula is quite 
inaccessible from the water. 

The isthmus has a gentle declivity towards the 
city, and its whole breadth is occupied by the for- 
tifications of the Castle of St. John the Baptist, the 



FORTIFICATIONS. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 79 

principal fortress of the island. It was here, in the 
governor's house, that the unhappy Dom AfFonso VI. 
resided five years. He was deposed by his brother 
Dom Pedro II. and the Cortes. His coat-of-arms is 
still to be seen over the door of what was once his 
sleeping apartment. The whole castle and surround- 
ings form a large fortified village, where, including 
the garrison, ordinarily reside over a thousand per- 
sons. It mounts about one hundred and sixty pieces, 
a number of which are forty-eight-pounders. 

The second castle, which defends the port of Angra, 
is that of St. Sebastian, so. called from its founder, 
the ill-fated monarch of that name. Situated on the 
east side of the bay, its artillery crosses with that 
of the Castle of St. Antonio, making it hazardous 
for a hostile fleet to effect an entrance. There is 
an arched subterranean passage to a battery upon 
a rock, where the sea breaks, and from, which, by 
a brisk fire, it could command not only the whole 
port, but the coast to the eastward as far as Feteira. 

The Cathedral is considered the largest and hand- 
somest church of the Azores. Situated upon an 
eminence, nearly in the middle of the city, it faces 
the north. Its foundation is laid on a flagged yard, 
with a parapet, and a flight of stone steps leading 
from the street. Its front is ornamented by three 
arched doorways, with a high tower on each side 



80 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

of a large pediment, where a clock is placed. Be- 
sides the three doors in front, which lead into a 
large exterior portico, with a gallery over it, there 
is one on each side. The roof is supported by two 
rows of lofty pillars and arches of beautiful con- 
struction, running the whole length of the building. 
On each side there are four altars, richly decorated. 
The roof of the chapel, which contains in the centre 
the high altar, is an arch of hewn stone, of elegant 
workmanship. The cupola, or dome, is supported 
by six large gilt columns. 

There are many other churches and buildings, 
besides gardens and other noticeable places, that 
would, perhaps, be interesting to the reader; but 
the limits I have assigned myself preclude my no- 
ticing them particularly, while, at the same time, I 
can safely say, that two or three months could be 
spent here to some advantage, and with a great deal 
of pleasure, in the examination of natural and other 
curiosities. 

Within a few miles of Angra is the small vil- 
lage Praya da Victoria (the Beach of Victory), 
whose history also teems with interesting events. 
While it was the residence of the first donatary 
captain, and the seat of the insular government, the 
first agricultural labors of the island were com- 
menced there. It gave birth to a large number of 



PR AY A DA VICTORIA. 81 

stout hearts, who gloriously served their country 
against the Spanish invaders. There sounded the 
first cry of restoration in favor of Dom Joao IV. ; 
and there, too, the Constitutionalists achieved the. 
glorious victory of August n, 1829, by the repulse 
and defeat of the usurper's fleet, which broke asun- 
der the fetters of despotism, prepared the public 
mind for the great national events that shortly after 
followed, and gave it an eternal name in the annals, 
of Portuguese history. 

The Azoreans, in all these conflicts, proved them- 
selves gloriously brave, like their forefathers who 
won so many laurels for the aggrandizement of the 
Lusitanian name, not only on the field of Ourique 
against five Moorish sovereigns, and on the field of 
Aljubarrota against the Spanish legions, but on many 
other hard-fought and brilliantly-won plains. 

We look back with pride upon our former lau- 
rels, because they are about the only glory that has 
been left us by other powers, and through the im- 
becility and mismanagement of some of our sover- 
eigns. There was a time when it could have been 
as truly said of Portugal, as it was once of Spain, 
that the sun never set in her territory. Now, alas ! 
she is but a dim shadow of her former self. 

But to return. The Praya da Victoria of the pres- 
ent is far different from that of the past. The vol- 
6 



Sz A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

canic agents, now quietly slumbering beneath the 
green fields and fruitful orchards, have several times 
shaken it to its very foundations — totally or partially 
destroying it, in proportion to the fury of their con- 
tests. The fatal earthquake of the 24th of May, 16 14, 
was the first that totally destroyed, and forever sub- 
merged, one half of the town, killing two hundred 
persons. Eighty years elapsed before it was rebuilt, 
only to be again partially destroyed by the earth- 
quakes of June 24, 1800, and January 26, 1801. The 
re-erection of the prostrate buildings was soon com- 
pleted, and the inhabitants began to believe they had 
undergone the last infliction from the warring ele- 
ments, when, on the 15th of June, 1841, it was again 
reduced to a heap of ruins by an overwhelming 
earthquake. This fatal catastrophe did not destroy 
any lives, for the people took an early warning by 
the slight convulsions which preceded it, and retired 
to the open fields, where they erected temporary 
tents. It has since been rebuilt, and now excels in 
beauty and richness its former self. Its streets are 
paved, and well laid out, with some beautiful pri- 
vate and public buildings on both sides. It contains 
about three thousand inhabitants. 



CHAPTER IX. 

S£< Michael. — Wealth of the Island. — Cities and Towns. 

— Stupendous Breakwater. — Earthquakes and Volcanoes. 

— Cold and Hot Springs. — Macadamized Road. — The 
Furnas. — The Baths. 

FOUR days of unexceptionably delightful weather 
elapsed before we beheld the summits of St. 
Michael looming up among the clouds. 

The wind had blown so gently since our prov- 
idential escape from shipwreck, that, although the 
distance to be accomplished was not great, it re- 
quired more than twice the time that it would have 
taken had we been favored by more propitious gales. 

The Island of St. Michael lies sixty-five miles east- 
south-east of Terceira, and is remarkable for its fer- 
tility and the high state of cultivation to which it 
is carried ; also for the mineral waters and hot 
springs with which it abounds. It has a length of 
about sixty miles, and a width varying from six to 
twelve. It is the largest and richest island of the 

(83) 



84 A TRIP TO TEE AZORES. 

group, and contains a population estimated at about 
ninety-eight thousand. 

It was first settled in 1444, by Goncalo Velho 
Cabral, and has now an extensive commerce with 
Portugal and England. 

From the latter country, woollens, cottons, hard- 
ware, and other necessaries, are imported in ex- 
change for specie and oranges. With the latter some 
fifty or more vessels are yearly loaded. In the sea- 
son of 1 86 1 -2, one hundred and fifteen vessels cleared 
from the island with one hundred and four thousand 
boxes of oranges, which are equal to about two hun- 
dred thousand of such boxes as are imported into 
the United States from other countries. 

To Portugal and her dominions are exported corn, 
wheat, and horse-beans, which are paid for in re- 
turns of dry-goods and groceries. There is also a 
ready-money trade with vessels that resort to the 
island for provisions, which are of excellent quality. 
Sugar was once made here to a considerable extent, 
but the manufacture has been for a great many years 
entirely abandoned, by reason of its being less profit- 
able than other products now cultivated. 

On the south side of the island is the city of Ponta 
Delgada, its capital, containing some twenty-three 
thousand inhabitants. It is built close to the sea, 
and is backed by numberless small, conical, bright- 



CITIES AND TOWNS. BREAKWATER. 8$ 

green hills, irregularly scattered behind it. Although 
much larger than Horta or Angra, its appearance 
from the sea is neither so fine nor so picturesque. 

Besides this city, and that of Ribeira Grande with 
twelve thousand inhabitants, there are fifty-three vil- 
lages upon the island, four of which are quite large 
towns. Of these, Villa Franca is the most impor- 
tant. Before this town is a small islet bearing the 
same name, and similar to the one described in 
Chapter I. as having been formed, and afterwards 
disappearing in 1811. It has a crater on its sum- 
mit, some ninety fathoms in diameter, with a body of 
water about seventeen feet deep. 

A work of vast magnitude and importance, not 
only to the island itself, but to all vessels visiting it, 
is now under construction. It is a dock, or break- 
water, or rather a combination of both, to protect 
the shipping from the ravages of the sea and wind 
to which the port is exposed. It has already cost 
a great sum, — six hundred thousand dollars in specie, 
I think, — and is not more than a third done. There 
has been, and is still, a great deal of grumbling about 
this work, not only at St. Michael itself, but also 
at the other islands, to the effect that it will never 
do any substantial good. I am of a contrary opin- 
ion from what I saw of it, and hope for the most 
successful issue. The dissatisfaction of some arises 



86 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

from their old-fashioned ideas, while that of others 
is prompted by a little jealousy. 

There have been more earthquakes and volcanic 
eruptions in St. Michael and its vicinity than in any 
of the other islands, or else a better record of them 
has been kept. Aside from those already mentioned 
in my first chapter, I find quite a long list of these 
disastrous events, beginning as far back as 1444 and 
the following year, when the top of a mountain was 
removed by the effects of a volcano. The waters 
that shortly after filled up the cavities left by it are 
now the two beautiful lakes, or ponds, at Sete Ci- 
dades (Seven Cities). In 1522, two mountains were 
precipitated upon Villa Franca^ then the capital of 
the island, entirely submerging it, with four thousand 
inhabitants. In 1563, a volcano broke out upon the 
Pico do Sapateiro (Shoemaker's Peak), which burnt 
and ejected lava for many days. On the 2d of Sep- 
tember, 1630, at nine o'clock in the evening, the 
whole island was so violently shaken by an earth- 
quake, that the bells of the churches tolled, and the 
houses and other buildings oscillated unceasingly for 
four hours. This was succeeded by a loud report, 
caused by the breaking-out of a volcano, which 
ejected great quantities of burning lava, that de- 
stroyed trees and cattle, two villages with nearly 
two hundred persons, and desolated everything in 



EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES. Sj 

its course. On the Wednesday following, the skies 
were so darkened as to literally turn day into night 
— so horrifying and frightening the inhabitants, that 
some of them surely thought that direful day had 
already arrived on which it has been predicted the 
earth shall pass away. The floodgates of heaven, 
as it were, then opened, and the rain poured down 
for three days and nights so copiously, that in many 
places the water was from fourteen to twenty feet 
deep. In 1652 two peaks north of Rosto de Cao 
(Dog's Face) vomited burning lava for some days. 
In 1720 and 1755 there were again violent earth- 
quakes, causing the partial destruction of some vil- 
lages. In 1 8 10 there was an eruption from the Pico 
dos Ginetes (Palfreys' Peak), but of much less vio- 
lence than the others. 

Cold and hot springs are met with in many parts 
of the isjand, as relics or testimonials, to convince 
the incredulous that there have been, and are still, 
some powerful subterranean agents at work. But 
considering them all, none are on such a large 
scale, so worthy of notice, and so much frequented, 
as are those in the Valley of Furnas. 

From the city to this valley there is a macadam- 
ized road, twenty-four miles in length, winding itself 
through villages, up hills, down dales, skirting along 
the foot of a mountain, or again stretching over 



88 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

the summits of hills, or intersecting cultivated fields ; 
now permitting one a passing glimpse of a distant 
landscape, and then a sight at the sea breaking 
upon rock-bound coasts, or its glassy smoothness far 
away — a grand panoramic view to be enjoyed 
leisurely. 

After six or seven hours' ride, and arriving upon 
the brink of a precipice, a short distance from where 
the carriage-road terminates, one comes upon such 
a view as fairly intoxicates the mind, and, in aston- 
ishment, he can scarcely withdraw his eyes from 
it. A few glances do not suffice to satisfy the be- 
holder; and two entire days could be profitably and 
pleasantly spent in gazing upon and admiring the 
view. 

A description would but very faintly convey an 
idea of its reality, and therefore, to be truly appre- 
ciated, it must be seen. , 

As the view of the valley opens, the traveller looks 
down from the precipice, near the edge of which 
the road passes, and several hundred feet below lies 
a small, picturesque village, with its cultivated fields 
occupying thousands of acres ; to the left of it, sev- 
eral jets of steam are discovered, sometimes larger 
than at others, according to the weight of the at- 
mosphere ; to the right, a ridge of hills stretches 
itself, enclosing a large sheet of water, a glimpse 



COLD AND HOT SPRINGS. 



8 9 



of which is obtained through a ravine ; in front and 
beyond the village lies another ridge of hills ; then 
raising his eyes and looking around, he perceives 
the bounding ridges of the mountains, some eight 
miles distant, that encircle the whole valley and its 
surroundings. 

Going down the rather precipitous descent, he 
turns to the left to approach the springs and baths. 
As he nears them, the ground becomes white, and 
in places streaked with yellow and red ; it is warm, 
and smells strongly of sulphur. The soil, which in 
some places is loose, and in others of the consis- 
tency of clay, is broken into all kinds of shapes. 
Where there is no vegetation, it is of a glaring white 
and yellow color. 

The water of the largest caldeira comes boiling 
and bubbling up furiously into a round basin, that 
is walled in, and is some ten feet in diameter, 
from which a^ large column of steam floats to lee- 
ward, or ascends into the air if there is no wind. 
It bubbles up into a column of water in the centre, 
some three feet high, and of the thickness of a man's 
body, gradually decreasing in height until it merely 
ripples on the margin of the basin. 

Farther on he comes to the entrance of what 
looks like a deep and dark cave, very appropriately 
called the "Devil's Mouth." From the bottom of 



9 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

this cave, boiling mud, of a dark-bluish color, is 
unceasingly thrown out horizontally. The ground 
is hot; here and there boiling water and hissing 
steam ooze up through holes in the clay, and the 
traveller stands in a warm vapor tainted with sul- 
phur. A continual pumping sound is heard, and a 
feeling of insecurity creeps over him as he reflects 
upon the possibility of the crust or soil upon which 
he stands opening and plunging him into those hot 
regions below, or exploding and sending him flying 
high in air, enveloped in a hotter bath than would 
be at all agreeable. 

Around him are several other boilers and pots, if 
I may so call them, always hot, from some of which 
small quantities of water escape ; and by the side 
of one of these there is an ice-cold spring, constantly 
throwing out, in a jet as large as a finger, what 
seemed to me, and what is there called, soda-water. 
A very pleasant drink I found it to be after the first 
glass. 4 

The baths are supplied from some of these boil- 
ers, or pots ; but as the water is boiling hot, it 
becomes necessary to cool it. For this purpose, 
while a hot stream is flowing along, a branch of 
the stone channel, over which the water passes, con- 
ducts a portion into a reservoir, where it cools ; and 
another channel, from the cooler, joins the former 



THE BATHS. ISLAND OF ST. MARY. 



91 



near the bath, where they form one stream ; so that, 
by partially stopping the hot or cold stream with a 
stone, the proper heat is as readily obtained as by 
complicated machinery. This temperate stream runs 
to the bath, sometimes in two bodies, so that the 
bather, by means of a wooden slide, can suit him- 
self as to the heat, and at the same time, while 
bathing, a stream may constantly flow in, so as in- 
cessantly to renew the bath — an abundance of water, 
and very luxurious bathing. 

The bath-houses are not finished in style, but are 
rude, plain, though decently-comfortable places. New 
bath-houses of a better sort, with the different qualities 
of water near each other, are being built, as those 
now in existence are scattered about, and prove 
insufficient for the number of bathers. 

Thirty-five miles to the south-east of St. Michael 
lies the Island of St. Mary, first settled by its dis- 
coverer — the last island of the group, but the first 
in the order of discovery. Twelve miles long by 
nine broad, this island contains some six thousand 
inhabitants. It is fertile, and celebrated for the 
manufacture of red-clay pottery, which it exports to 
the other islands. Porto, its capital, is the most 
ancient town, of the Azores, and has a population 
of two thousand. In its vicinity there is Romeiros, 



92 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

a small islet, or rock, remarkable for the abundance 
and beauty of its stalactites. I have not found any 
record or tradition of any earthquakes or volcanic 
eruptions having occurred at this island. Its inter- 
course with the world at large is rather limited. 



CHAPTER X. 

$ 

Stay at St. Michael. — Visit to the Furnas. — Return thence. 
— A Night at Porto Formoso. — Stone Quarry in Ponta 
Delgada. — Theatre. 

WE remained in the Harbor of Ponta Delgada 
over a week. The greater part of this pe- 
riod we were engaged in selling and unloading the 
lumber; and, although our presence was not con- 
stantly required, it was impossible for us to absent 
ourselves for any great length of time. I enjoyed 
many a fugitive hour in company with my new, 
and some old acquaintances, as opportunity offered, 
among whom was Mrs. O., an American lady, whose 
interesting daughters were my schoolmates when at 
Fayal. The father of these young ladies was a na- 
tive of that island. My acquaintance with them 
dates back to my early youth, and I regretted as 
much the death of the eldest and absence of the 
youngest, as I was delighted to see the mother and 
her other daughter, now also the. parent of three 
children. 

(93) 



94 



A TRIP TO THE. AZORES. 



I had resolved that, whatever remarkable in this 
island I might forego seeing, no |iuman power should 
prevent my visiting the Furnas, whatever risk I might 
incur in consequence. With this determination, I 
invited the captain to accompany me, in which he 
gladly acquiesced. As business compelled us to start 
on Saturday, I endeavored, early in the morning of 
that day, to obtain tickets in either of the two om- 
nibuses which daily travel as far as Ribeira Grande, 
where we could easily engage donkeys for the re- 
mainder of the journey ; but, greatly to my disap- 
pointment, I was told that the seats, inside and out, 
had already been disposed of the previous day. 

There being no other public conveyance, we con- 
cluded to hire a carriage, which we succeeded in 
engaging to carry us to the Furnas, leaving the driver 
the liberty to procure passengers for his return trip. 

It took much time and a deal of words to com- 
plete the bargain for six Spanish dollars, which we 
considered quite reasonable — the usual price being 
nine dollars and upwards. Notwithstanding the terms 
agreed upon, before the driver fully accomplished his 
duty towards us we had paid him nearly the usual 
fare. 

At the appointed time the vehicle arrived at the 
hotel door, drawn by three mules. The leading an- 
imal was ridden by a boy about ten years of age, 



VISIT TO THE FURNAS. • 95 

as guide, or outrider, who was dressed in white 
pants, blue jacket and cap, and whose management 
of the mule would have done honor to a cavalry- 
man. His posture, as he rode, was so graceful and 
easy, that he seemed to form a part of the animal 
itself. The driver did not sit in the box more than 
half of the time, for when passing over difficult or 
steep places he would get off and run by the side 
of his mules, or behind the carriage, entertaining 
me with his varied gossip, or smoking his cigarette 
— a luxury indulged in as well by the little outrider. 

On arriving at Ribeira Grande, we stopped ' to 
engage return seats in the omnibus for Monday 
morning, watered the mules, treated the drivers to 
their favorite beverage, and, after having also re- 
freshed ourselves with some quite excellent wine, 
lighted cigars, and started again upon our trip. 

Our ride was especially pleasant ; rendered so by 
a most delightful July afternoon and the varied 
scenery of the picturesque road we travelled over. 

In due time we descended the Ladeira da Velha 
(" Old Woman's Steep Pass"), celebrated in the his- 
tory of the island for having been a battle-field on 
the 2d of August, 1 83 1, when three thousand of the 
enemy, who held the best positions, were completely 
routed by the doubly outnumbered loyalists. This 
pass is so steep that an iron shoe is necessary to 



96 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

one of the forward wheels of the carriage, to pre- 
vent its running the animals down. Just about sun- 
set we arrived at the place overlooking the Furnas, 
already alluded to, when the driver made the im- 
portant circumstance known to the inhabitants below 
by a few flourished blasts of his trumpet. We de- 
scended afoot the rest of the steep and tortuous 
declivity, and arrived safely at the hotel, where we 
were welcomed in broken English by the jolly 
Boniface. 

Upon inquiry, we found that Mr. S. — a fellow- 
passenger, who had preceded us to this valley a few 
days before — was at the "Assemblea," where a 
party of ladies and gentlemen were enjoying them- 
selves, having resorted there to complete a day of 
pleasure commenced early in the morning as a pic- 
nic, but, later in the day, interrupted by showers. 

It being rather early for tea, we proceeded to the 
"Assemblea," and, gazing in at the windows, wit- 
nessed the last figures of a dance, in which the 
beauties of this favorite watering-place, dressed sim- 
ply, but with admirable taste, shone brilliantly. 

As the music ceased, a gentleman came out and 
insisted upon our entering. Immediately we were 
surrounded, and cordially invited by the managers 
of the fete to partake of refreshments, and spend 
the remainder of the evening with them. I declined, 



VISIT TO THE FURNAS. 



97 



on the plea of weariness and dress ; and though they 
pressed me very much to stay, I remained firm in 
my denial. 

Senhor R. Guerra, the French consul at Fayal,, 
whom I had never seen before, was particularly 
cordial to me when he learned my name ; and re- 
marking that he believed there was a relative of 
mine in the room, left me, but immediately returned, 
with a gentleman whom he presented as the son of 
the B**** de S. C. I was much pleased to make 
his acquaintance, for, although a kinsman of mine,. 
I had never before seen either him or his father. 
He cordially invited me to consider his house as my 
own during my stay at the Furnas. Promising to 
pay my respects to his father the following day, I 
left him, and, in company with Mr. S. and the cap- 
tain, returned to the hotel. 

After tea we were quartered at a private house 
for the night, the hotel being filled to overflowing ; 
and if our couches were not of the softest down, 
we slept soundly nevertheless, after our twenty-four 
miles' ride. The next morning we visited the baths, 
where we found people of all classes congregated, 
waiting their turn to bathe, some of them strolling 
along with sheets and towels thrown over their 
shoulders or flung across their arms, some sitting, 
7 



98 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

while others, prevented by their various infirmities 
from walking, patiently waited in their carriages. 

There can be no doubt of the salutary effects 
produced upon invalids who use these waters me- 
dicinally. They are sometimes sent for from great 
distances by people afflicted with disease. There is 
in the valley, not far from the baths, a small phil- 
anthropic establishment for the support and medical 
treatment of indigent persons, with an attending 
physician, who, of course, can be consulted by those 
visiting the springs for their health. 

After breakfast we rode over to the pond, or lake, 
seen on the right of the valley. There we found 
more hot springs ; saw smoke issuing from a rock 
some two hundred feet high, over which if a bird 
flies, he flies no more (as I was told by my loqua- 
cious donkey-driver). The water near the shores 
of the lake was boiling, or bubbling — the effect of 
springs at the bottom. On the side of the moun- 
tain, and overlooking the lake, the English consul 
has built a large country-house, which, for want of 
sufficient time, we hardly glanced at. 

Indeed, our time was so very limited, that, at the 
end of it, I found that my visit to the Furnas, al- 
though exciting, was far from satisfactory. I was 
obliged to hurry from one wonderful place to an- 
other, without being able to examine any point care- 



RETURN FROM THE FURNAS. 99 

fully, as I had fondly anticipated. A month's 
residence in the Valley of Furnas is about the short- 
est any one ought to make when not in search of 
health. The houses, and even the hotel, are all 
plain, matter-of-fact buildings, and many of the little 
necessaries of every-day life will not be found ; for 
instance, at our lodgings, one had the water, another 
the basin, and a third neither basin nor water. I 
was the last unhappy wight ; but an iron bath after- 
wards made me more than full amends for all. One 
article, if nothing more, would I recommend one to 
carry, and that is a comb — a thing we could not 
find at the hotel or at our lodging-rooms, and which 
we were compelled to borrow from a visitor. 

Shortly after dinner — which I partook at the 
table of the Baron of Santa Cruz, for many years 
an able deputy in Cortes — we started home- 
wards upon donkeys, with the intention of stopping 
over night at Porto Formoso ("Beautiful Port"), 
arriving there at nine in the evening. Here we 
parted company with a gentleman from Ribeira 
Grande, who pursued his way home, having enter- 
tained me with his lively and varied conversation 
upon the road, in travelling over which we had met 
nothing extraordinary, aside from a man riding a spry 
little horse at full speed, doing telegram duty ; that 
is, carrying news of the election returns ; for the 



IOO A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

elections are always held on Sundays, that the coun- 
try people may come to the polls in greater num- 
bers, and with less inconvenience as regards their 
home or field affairs. 

Arrived at Porto Formoso, we stopped at what 
passes for a hotel. Here a genial old man, the sex- 
ton of Porto Formoso, made our acquaintance, and 
cordially invited me to call upon him whenever I 
passed that way again, and make his house my 
home, which I as cordially and faithfully promised 
to do. 

At two in the morning we were aroused by our 
landlord, who seemed to be the man of all work 
about the house, and proceeded on our donkeys, 
arriving at Ribeira Grande just in time for the om- 
nibus, whose readiness to start was announced by 
the blasts of a trumpet or horn. The trumpet is 
also sounded at intervals, especially when approach- 
ing narrow or difficult passes, as a warning to drivers 
of teams coming from the opposite direction, or to 
have obstructions on the road removed in time to 
cause no delay. 

From this place to the city we had a very pleas- 
ant ride, the ladies and gentlemen joining in gen- 
eral conversation. We arrived at the hotel in right 
good season, and with an excellent appetite for 
breakfast. 



STONE QUARRY. THEATRE. 101 

I had nearly forgotten to mention that the quarry 
in Ponta Delgada, where the stone for the dock is 
being unearthed and blasted, was Once a large hill, 
and is now a place worth visiting ; for there we find 
steam-cars, rails, turning-tables, heavy draught-horses, 
and all the busy concomitants to carry on a stupen- 
dous work — the building of an immense wall in a 
depth of ten to forty fathoms of water. 

This city also boasts of a theatre, in size about 
equal to the Boston Howard Athenaeum, but plainly 
finished in the interior as well as the exterior. The 
circles are divided into boxes, with the numbers out- 
side facing the stage, and are occupied mostly by 
ladies. The parquet is exclusively for gentlemen, 
many of whom, when the curtain drops, have the 
bad taste to get up, turn round, and scrutinize with 
their glasses the ladies in the boxes, talking loudly, 
and, upon the whole, producing an unfavorable im- 
pression on those unused to the custom, seemingly 
sanctioned by the public. Any one wishing to secure 
his seat in the parquet, while he goes out between 
the pieces, can do so by tying a handkerchief to 
the back of it. It is then considered engaged. 
Clapping of hands is a sign of approbation to the 
actors, while stamping of the feet denotes disap- 
proval. 



CHAPTER XI. 

Departure from St. Michael. — The "Jack." — Second Visit 
to St, George. — Classes of Emigrants. — A Morning 
Watch. — Flores again. — Departure for Fayal. 

BEING desirous, at length, to leave St. Michael, 
we obtained our clearance-papers, and, repair- 
ing to the vessel, made preparations to get under 
way late in the afternoon. 

Shortly after, the captain of the port, a very gen- 
tlemanly naval officer, boarded us to see whether 
we had taken any passengers without passports, for 
the emigration laws are very strict, and in this island 
scrupulously carried out to the letter, and more 
effectively executed than in the others of the group ; 
not that the laws are more stringent, but the means 
at the disposal of the officers are more ample. 

The islanders here have a boat they call "Jack," 
which belies its appearance when speed is in ques- 
tion. I was particularly deceived in it, because it 
outwardly resembled one common to Flores and 

(102) 



SECOND VISIT TO ST. GEORGE. 



103 



Corvo, a rather slow-going sort of craft. The su- 
periority of the "Jack" consists, no doubt, in its 
being more lightly built, and in having a long, flex- 
ible sweep, instead of the stiff and short oak oar. 
To balance the outboard weight of this, an iron ball 
or bar is set into the handle, thus allowing the whole 
muscular force of the oarsmen to be employed in 
pulling only. 

The captain of the port having found our papers 
all right, and satisfied himself as to the legality of 
our proceedings in regard to the passengers and 
crew, bade us farewell ; and moving slowly out of 
the harbor, we were borne along by an almost im- 
perceptible breeze. We now entered for the second 
time the channel between St. George and Pico '; and 
stopping at Velas, we endeavored to obtain addi- 
tional passengers. At this island no officer visits a 
vessel while under sail to investigate papers or other 
matters ; but if cargo is to be landed, a guard is 
sent. Consequently, a captain can obtain passengers 
clandestinely after nightfall. 

This island furnishes more emigrants than any of 
the others, excepting, perhaps, Flores. Women and 
young men form the principal portion of these. The 
former leave their homes hoping to better their for- 
tunes, or to join friends already away ; the latter quit 
them in order to avoid military service, though but a 



104 



A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 



very small number of young men is required yearly 
by the home government. 

There is another class of men who emigrate — 
those who, returning from whaling voyages or from 
the mines of California to visit their relatives and 
friends, find, in a short time, their inability to adapt 
themselves to their former quiet, monotonous life. 

Though I was not obliged to do so, I took the 
morning watch as we were leaving St. George, the 
captain and mate being asleep — one from weariness, 
the other from a sufficient, although not so lauda- 
ble, cause. The wind was dead ahead, to use a nau- 
tical phrase, and I had to beat up against tide and 
wind. The currents here are quite strong, on ac- 
count of the proximity of Fayal and Pico. I watched 
with interest the various shapes assumed by head- 
lands and mountains on both sides of us as we ap- 
proached or receded from each shore, until we finally 
cleared the points, and, surrounded on all sides by 
the open ocean, pursued our course to Flores. 

Well pleased was I, when, a few days afterwards, 
the familiar outlines of this island met my gaze. As 
soon as possible after landing, I transacted the last 
of the business for the trip, as I was to remain at 
Flores some time. When the passengers were on 
board, and everything ready for departure, I went 
to see them off and wish them God speed. 



DEPARTURE FOR FATAL. 



105 



It was my last interview with the captain, who 
had enlivened for me many an hour. The good 
man has gone to his long rest. May it be a peace- 
ful one ! 

With my relatives, the time, though monotonously, 
was pleasantly passed. The contrast, however, be- 
tween the busy streets of the country I had left, and 
the death-like stillness of those of my native town, 
was too depressing to my spirits at times. Every 
day I would watch the ocean and sweep the horizon 
with my telescope, longing to see a vessel approach 
the lonely isle and create some stir in the monot- 
ony of every-day life. Part of my time was spent 
in long walks to the neighboring villages and heights, 
and two or three excursions by water to more dis- 
tant towns. 

Two months thus passed away, when the little 
coaster " Santa Cruz," in which I was to go to Fayal 
to make a long visit before returning to the United 
States, made its expected appearance off the port. 

It was not without sorrow that I parted from my 
only sister and other dear friends. My brother and 
quite a number of my acquaintances formed a pleas- 
ant group on the deck of the little craft before the 
shades of night quite involved everything in ob- 
scurity. 

The cabin was almost too small for a person to 



106 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

be able to lie at full length, and not of sufficient 
height to enable him to stand, even if there had 
been foot room. It was, upon the whole, about the 
most comfortless forty-eight hours I ever spent in 
my life. 

It was well, however, that I did not wait for the 
next trip, as my friends earnestly advised me to do, 
for the weather was so boisterous and rough that the 
" Santa Cruz " was nearly lost, and had to run back 
to Flores under a heavy gale, after sighting Fayal. 



CHAPTER XII. 

At Anchor in the Bay of Horta. — Farrobo. — Monte Quei- 
mado. — View from the Carmelite Church. — Quinta da 
Silveira. — Hospitalities. — Macadamized Road. 

IT was dawn when I awoke from a restless slum- 
ber. A dead silence pervaded; even the con- 
tinual murmur of the water heard when a vessel 
is moving at the slowest rate was hushed. There 
was no rocking to and fro. Undecided whether we 
were lying in a dead calm and smooth sea, or whether 
we had come to an anchor, I went on deck. 

No description, nay, no picture even, can give an 
adequate transcript of the sublimity of the quiescent 
scenery around: the clouds tinted with the golden 
colors of early morning, heralding the uprising sun 
in its daily tour; the cloud-capped peaks of the 
mountains partaking of the same splendor ; Pico ma- 
jestically ascending from the broad bosom of the 
Atlantic, and tapering to a point, so well denned in 
its dark blue against the paler hue of the sky on 
the background ; thickly scattered about the base of 

(107) 



108 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

the island, wreaths of smoke curling slowly and al- 
most perpendicularly, and undisturbed by soft breezes, 
until they finally vanished into air — sure indica- 
tions that the poor of the island, at least, were no 
sluggards ; the fresh morning air redolent with sweet 
odors exhaling from gardens and groves, almost with- 
in a stone's throw of us. The distant murmuring 
of old ocean, as it gently laved the sandy shores of 
the bay, almost inclined one to doubt its occasional 
outbursts of fury, when the most audacious mariner 
fears to trust himself upon its surface. 

I was, ere long, startled from my reverie by the 
bustling of passengers anxious to be in readiness to 
land, suggesting to me the propriety of making some 
preparations also, which I did not commence a mo- 
ment too early, as, before the sun was an hour high, 
we were once more on terra Jir ma, 

I shall not attempt to relate all the incidents con- 
nected with my residence at Horta, as such a course 
would not probably be productive of interest to the 
reader, and would likewise be wearisome to my- 
self; but I shall just refer to a few facts deserving 
of notice. 

Farrobo, the country-seat of Sr. F. da Cruz, the 
Brazilian consul, at whose house I remained when 
in Fayal, is an extremely pretty place. It is partly 
a new plantation, and affords many fine views, not 



FARBOBO. MONTE QUEIMADO. 109 

the least remarkable of which is the fertile valley 
and pleasant village of Flamengos. It is in a high 
state of cultivation, and has three houses upon the 
grounds. This gentleman's taste is developed more 
in the cultivation of trees and fruit than of flowers, 
although he has two fine gardens. 

With him and his excellent lady I resided seven 
years of my early life, receiving from them, whom 
I shall always consider my second parents, the kind- 
est care and affection . 

Splendid views of the lovely scenery of the island 
can be enjoyed from the public garden, as well, in 
fact, as from every eminence in the city, or its neigh- 
boring hills : among these is Monte Queimado, where 
Sr. M. d'Avila and family reside, always ready to 
welcome visitors ; Monte da Guia, where is the south 
signal-station ; and Ponta da Esplamaca, the north 
signal-station. Monte Queimado (the Burnt Moun- 
tain) looms up on the south side of the bay, and is 
entirely composed, as it seems, of burnt lava of all 
shades, from a light red to a dull black. Its surface 
is mostly covered with a layer of vegetable earth, 
where many garden plants are found growing wild. 
A portion of the mountain to the eastward of the 
house is divided off into those compartments adapted 
to the cultivation of the vine, and described in my 
account of the Pico vineyards ; while another por- 



HO A TRIE TO TEE AZORES. 

tion is devoted to the cultivation of sweet potatoes, 
the production of which, throughout the islands, has 
become quite general. Vegetation here is so pro- 
lific, that, from the very bits of lava, mosses and the 
orchilla weed start out luxuriantly. 

The view from this mountain is superb. From 
its' heights one sees the whole city spread out be- 
fore him, with the country, far and near, in an 
exuberant state of cultivation. The Caldeira Moun- 
tain is discerned in the distance, with Castello 
Branco (White Castle) upon its right, relieved by 
the azure sky ; nearer, he gradually drops his gaze 
upon the southern outskirts of the city, and the small 
Bay of Porto Pym, sheltered by the promontory 
Monte da Guia ; turning to the eastward, his eyes 
rest upon the never-failing Pico, in all its grandeur, 
and St. George in the background ; below, almost 
at his feet, is the bay, enlivened by the shipping at 
anchor or under sail, and dotted with Pico boats, 
either bringing over wine, wood, and fruit, swarm- 
ing with passengers, or taking back a return cargo 
of grain, small stores, and the passengers, who, in 
the morning, came for pleasure or to sell their fruit. 

One day I enjoyed a very beautiful view from a 
favorable position in front of the Carmelite Church, 
which is situated on rising ground, and commands 
a fine prospect of the city ; hills, valleys, and 



QUINT A DA SILVEIRA. m 

mountains on either side ; trees by the acre, not 
leafless and bowed down by snow or icicles, but 
draped in their rich green foliage, and partial- 
ly loaded with fruit; green and rich brown fields 
filling up the landscape, with here and there a de- 
tached house showing itself among the trees, or 
towering above the surrounding fields ; farther off, 
the sea rolling unceasingly upon the . sand-beach, 
and the bay enlivened by the presence of fourteen 
vessels at anchor, and boats plying to and from 
them with their cargoes ; still farther off, Pico, dot- 
ted along its shores with the white houses of its 
wide-spread villages, the sunshine upon its hills, 
intermingled with the shadows of the valleys, and 
heavy clouds hiding its symmetrical summit from 
the sight ; and still beyond all this, to the north- 
east, the distant Island of St. George, almost invis- 
ible through the cloudy veil before it. 

I cannot leave the city of Horta without alluding 
to an orange plantation and garden, far excellence, 
the best in Fayal. It is called the Quintet, da Sil- 
veira, and any one visiting the island should never 
leave it without going over the grounds. The pro- 
prietor, Sr. Manoel Maria da Terra Brum, is a 
bachelor gentleman of about forty years of age, and 
one whom I feel proud to consider my friend. He 
had a fifth name, that of Silveira, which he left off 



H2 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

from his signature for brevity's sake, and bestowed 
it upon his Quinta, or plantation, some fifteen years 
ago, upon which occasion there was a sort of 
picnic that lasted twenty-four hours. Of course, it 
necessarily consisted of breakfast, dinner, and sup- 
per, with a night of dancing and innocent revelry. 
To form an idea of the magnitude of the festival, 
it is sufficient to say there were ninety guests at the 
dinner-table, and a greater attendance in the even- 
ing. Although I was not one of the guests, being 
absent from the country at the time, I mention the 
circumstance to explain how the place came to be 
so named. 

The whole plantation, which includes considera- 
ble arable land, contains fifty acres of ground, and 
has already cost the proprietor, aside from the pur- 
chase-money, thirty thousand dollars. Not content 
with this, he continues to spend from one to two 
thousand dollars every year in its improvement — a 
considerable sum for the country. 

Unfinished as it is, one cannot but admire the 
taste displayed in all its arrangements — in the man- 
ner in which it is laid out; the beautiful garden, 
modelled after the modern English style, luxuriating 
in plants from all parts of the globe; its shady, ser- 
pentine walks ; its pond with white swans ; its small 
but neat hot-house, in which are displayed the most 



HOSPITALITIES. 



JI 3 



rare and exotic plants ; the grotesque arches and 
figures formed with pieces of lava, intermixed with 
plants, that flank each side of the entrance for a 
considerable distance ; in fine, everything but one is 
in keeping, and that is the house. 

Sr. Terra intended to build a house to corre- 
spond with the place, just above the garden, when 
the death of his mother occurred; and this, with 
other private reasons, made him change his* resi- 
dence from the 'city to the Qiiinta sooner than he 
anticipated, or could build ; so he turned what was 
then a storehouse and stable into a temporary coun- 
try residence. He has made it so cosy and elegant 
inside, that he is in no hurry to build . the other ; 
and as the interior is not generally seen, it gives 
rise to the remark of visitors, that it is a pity such 
a beautiful place should have such an ordinary-look- 
ing house for the proprietor's residence. 

There are many other country-seats and city res- 
idences, a description of which I forbear, such as 
that of the Baron de Santa Anna, near the Carmelite 
Church, who extended to me his cordial friendship 
and hospitality ; and that of my old friend and school- 
mate, W. H. Lane, Lloyd's agent, now the father of 
an interesting family. To both these gentlemen I 
am gratefully indebted for many courtesies. 

I had almost forgotten to mention that a macad- 
8 



"4 



A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 



amized road is now being opened, leading around 
the island, and passing through or near all the coun- 
try villages. The road has been commenced from 
both sides of the city, and there are already several 
miles constructed, affording a pleasant drive or walk 
on each side. Horses cannot be obtained, for there 
are none to be let, being all the property of private 
individuals ; but donkeys can be procured at reason- 
able rates. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Misstatements of Travellers. — Exportation of Oranges. — 
Wine. — Its Manufacture. — Newspapers. — Currency. — 
Facilities for Strangers, 

MY aim in writing this little book has been to 
present the ideas suggested to me in my late 
visit to the Azores with simplicity and strict ad- 
herence to truth. I therefore have not exaggerated 
or wilfully misrepresented anything, as, unfortunately, 
many travellers do, although it can scarcely be said 
from malicious motives. 

Their judgment of the countries they visit is 
generally formed from the incompetent information 
they receive from ignorant or unreliable people, from 
a too-hurried sojourn, or their regarding things from 
a wrong stand-point. 

For instance : wishing information in regard to a 
certain matter, I applied to a friend, and received, 
as I felt satisfied at the time, a correct solution of 
the affair ; but, soon after, in conversation with an- 
other person upon the same subject, I was much 

(115) 



Ii6 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

surprised to hear him very decidedly, although un- 
knowingly, contradict the statement of my friend. 

Both opinions, as I afterwards learned, were hon- 
estly given ; but the variance resulted from the sub- 
ject in question having been viewed in different 
lights. 

It is very unsafe, then, for a traveller to register 
in his note-book, as actual fact, everything that is 
said to him, or that he observes once, without look- 
ing into its history, causes, and effects. By sufficient 
care, many ridiculous statements might be avoided ; 
such as that of a French traveller, who stated that 
the inhabitants of Fayal lived entirely upon lupines, 
cattle-feed, and fertilizer, probably from the fact of 
having seen almost every field covered with them 
early in the spring, the time he visited the island — 
a mistake which he could never have made had he 
taken the trouble to ask a simple question. The 
same traveller stated that the ladies in New York 
or Boston, on entering, a store to make purchases, 
usually climbed upon a stool or the counter, and 
took the goods from the shelves themselves. Possi- 
bly, on one occasion, he might have seen this action 
performed by a store-girl ; but he should have made 
himself sure of its being the custom before publish- 
ing it as such. My surprise was extreme when a 
lady in Fayal, who had read the book, asked me 



EXPORTATION OF ORANGES. 117 

if such was the case. I undeceived her, of course, 
and told her the Americans were not so far behind 
civilization and refinement as the Frenchman's book 
would imply. 

However absurd the credulity on the part of this 
lady may appear to others, it cannot seem more so 
than to the Portuguese appears the implicit faith with 
which those regard unfounded and ungenerous asser- 
tions made by certain writers in respect to Portugal 
and the Western Isles. Another thing which I have 
noticed is, the tendency that most people have to 
judge of the character of a whole nation by the few 
people belonging to it whom necessity or other causes 
compel to emigrate. Of course, such judgment can- 
not be correct, as, in reality, the best classes of a 
people, with but few exceptions, rarely settle in for- 
eign countries, and one cannot properly form an 
estimate of those who merely visit his land. He 
must go abroad himself, and see them in their own 
homes, or, for the sake of politeness, at least, not 
make derogatory remarks in regard to them. 

One of the principal sources of wealth to the 
islands is the export of oranges. They are not fully, 
ripe until January and February, but their exporta- 
tion begins in November, when the fruit is green, 



Ii8 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

just showing a little golden spot around the eye. As 
the season advances, this golden tinge overspreads 
the orange, and deepens in color. Men and boys 
pick the fruit, — for the windfalls are never sold, — 
and carry it to a place in the plantation where the 
baskets of the carriers are filled. The carriers of 
Fayal are mostly women from Pico, who, as well 
as the men, poise the baskets, holding each about 
a bushel, upon their heads. In gangs of ten to fif- 
teen they run, or trot, all the way from the plan- 
tation to the packing-house in the city, where the 
baskets are emptied on the ground. Here the pack- 
ers wrap up each orange in corn-husks, — preferable 
to paper, which more easily decomposes, — and fill 
the boxes. These are then taken to the box-makers. 
The boxes, though a few are made square, have the 
fruit heaped up into them so as to make a large 
bilge, that contains just as much as the square of 
the box. This is done to save duties. A portion 
of the fruit is also packed in baskets. When a suf- 
ficient quantity is boxed, the shipping commences, 
Sundays being disregarded if expedition is needed. 
Some of the proprietors sell the fruit upon the trees, 
while others export it on their own account, and, to 
lessen the risks of loss, ship a few hundred boxes in 
each vessel. 



WINES, AND THEIR MANUFACTURE. 119 

Another source of profit is wine, which was once 
a staple production of the islands. Late in the sum- 
mer, the gathering of the grapes, which have then 
become perfectly ripe, commences. They are car- 
ried to the press in large tubs. The press is a rude 
quadrangle, some two feet deep, constructed of wood, 
perfectly tight, but with a faucet, or outlet, on one 
side. When the press is full, several men get into 
it, with their trousers rolled up to the knee, and 
press the juice out by stamping about from one side 
to the other. As soon as the cask under the faucet 
is filled, another takes its place ; and the press is 
refilled as fast as the grapes are pressed out, the 
stems of the previous lot having been thrown away. 
As the wine ferments in the casks for a considera- 
ble length of time, a vent-hole, which is stopped 
with a straw during its conveyance, is made near 
the bung to prevent their bursting. 

As most of the proprietors of vineyards reside in 
Fayal, and the wine of the native proprietors is 
chiefly purchased there, it is ferried over in the Pico 
boats that ply between the islands all the year round. 
The wine, though good when new, grows better 
with age and the various processes it undergoes — 
a description of which would be too tedious to the 
reader: suffice it to say, that it is preserved pure 
and free from any adulteration. Now that Pico 



120 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

wine has become scarce, it is much sought after and 
prized. 

Newspapers — for which no nation has a greater 
fondness than the American — are published at the 
three principal islands, Terceira, St. Michael, and 
Fayal. Most of them are small weekly sheets, but 
contain more racy and spicy personalities than are 
generally found in periodicals double and treble their 
size in this country. 

Upon the supposition that some of my readers may 
at a future time visit the Azores, I mention that 
Spanish and old Brazilian silver dollars are the best 
money to carry there ; next to that, English gold, 
and then American. This gradation is necessary on 
account of the premium at both ends of the line, 
when a person wishes to economize. For one Span- 
ish dollar, or its equivalent, per day, lodgings and 
board can be obtained at the best hotels. The other 
expenses being in the same ratio, a person can 
easily tell how much money he will require to 
sojourn a certain length of time upon the islands. 

In going from one island to another in a sailing 
vessel, it does not cost much ; but in the steam- 
packet which goes every month from Lisbon to St. 
Michael, Terceira, Graciosa, St. George, and Fayal, 



CURRENCY. 121 

and back the same way to Lisbon, it is more ex- 
pensive, being ten Spanish dollars from Fayal to St. 
Michael. 

The currency is reckoned by reis, or mills. Mil 
reis is a dollar; but a Spanish dollar contains a 
thousand and two hundred reis, or a dollar and 
twenty cents. 



• CHAPTER XIV. 

Beggars and Alms-giving. — The Nobility. — Modes of Con- 
veyance. — The Donkey and its Usefulness. — Fleas. 

ALMOST the first thing that attracts a stran- 
ger's eye after landing in the Azores is the 
great number of beggars that meet and importune 
him. Particularly, however, is this noticeable on a 
Saturday, the regular begging day in the islands. 

It is an Azorean custom for every person of means 
to give alms to a certain number of beggars this 
last day of the week ; so they will wait on the side- 
walk or at the doors until served, and then quietly 
go off and beg elsewhere. This accounts for the 
greater numbers met with on Saturdays. 

The beggars that I refer to are persons that crave 
a small pittance to scare away starvation and mis- 
ery. They are neither a saucy nor greedy race, but 
will thank you heartily, and will pray for all God's 
blessings to be showered upon you, if you give them 
but five or ten reis, that is, half or one cent. At 
the same time, however, many will be very impor- 

(122) 



BEGGARS AND ALMS-GIVING. NOBILITY. i 2 y 

tunate until you do give them something. The fact 
that there are no poorhouses in the islands accounts 
for so large a number of the above class. 

As regards other classes of beggars I will men- 
tion only one, for the rest are alike in all countries : 
the boatmen, drivers, and. laborers, who, after re- 
ceiving their dues, sometimes will beg for something 
more. A stranger, unless very acute, is apt, some- 
times, to get victimized by them. But a person 
versed in their character generally makes his bar- 
gain with them, and pays only according to agree- 
ment, unless he may wish to make them supremely 
happy by giving a trifle more, thereby rendering 
himself not a little pleasure also, as the poor souls 
readily show their gratitude and joy for the small- 
est favors. A laboring man rarely receives more 
than from twenty to thirty cents for a day's work. 

One extreme sends me to the other : from beg- 
gars to the nobility, or upper classes ? among which 
are barons, counts, and viscounts, — gentlemen wor- 
thy of their titles, — who bear their honors with 
simple dignity and unostentatiousness. The edu- 
cated, upper classes are endowed with sterling qual- 
ities ; but it would be, perhaps, as wrong to form 
an idea of the standard of the national character 
from them, as it would be unjust to estimate it from 



124 A TRIP T0 THE AZ0RE S- 

the characteristics of the lower classes. The ac- 
quaintance and friendship of these gentlemen are 
generally attainable by persons of refinement and 
good sense without difficulty, and should be sought 
by those who wish to see and enjoy the best of life 
at the Azores. Many of them speak the English, 
but many more the French language. Affable and 
hospitable, they are ever ready to oblige, and 
render those courtesies that never fail of pleasing 
strangers. 

Terceira, perhaps, boasts of more nobility than 
any of the other islands, from the fact of many hav- 
ing come there from Portugal, attracted by the de- 
sirable positions to be filled under government, in 
consequence of its being the capital of the archipel- 
ago for many years after the islands were settled. 
This also may account for the manifestation of that 
chivalric spirit and loyalty, ever-prominent charac- 
teristics of the island in all the political struggles 
she has undergone. 

Loads are carried by both sexes on the head, back, 
or shoulders, according to the capacity of the car- 
riers. Those too heavy or bulky to be held in this 
manner are drawn in two- wheeled, lumbering, heavy 
carts, dragged along by one or two yoke of oxen or 
cows, the axles of which make such a squeaking 



MODES -OF CONVEYANCE. 125 

that the drivers are compelled by law to grease them 
well in going through a city, to prevent the dis- 
cordant noise. 

To carry earth, small stones, or other such articles, 
there is a sort of twin-baskets, so made together, of 
willow, that, placed upon the donkey's back, they 
balance each other ; and as much can be put into 
and piled up over them as they will carry or the 
animal bear. 

Very often, in some town or other, you will meet 
lovely girls, whose faces might grace a parlor, with 
a basket of clothes at the hip, repairing to some 
brook to wash. Upon the swardy banks of the 
brook many times they spread the linen to whiten 
it, and there spend a good portion of the day. 
Often, too, you meet them going to the fountain 
with a narrow-mouthed wooden vessel peculiar to 
these islands, that holds from four to eight gallons, 
the bottom chines resting also upon the hip, a 
white and finely-moulded arm around the upper 
part, and a shapely hand upon the primitive wood- 
en handle. * . 

At Flores the water is all obtained from public 
fountains or springs ; at Fayal and St. Michael from 
public wells, fountains, and private cisterns. The 
well-water of Fayal is rather brackish. This is one 
of the finest islands, with the poorest water. 



126 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

The poor donkey is a very much abused little 
animal, and, it may be said, without reason or jus- 
tice. It carries all sorts of loads over precipices 
and gullies — where a horse would hesitate to pass, 
even without a rider — with a most admirable sure- 
footedness. I have seen in the streets of Horta four 
of these animals with such a heavy load slung up, 
and swinging to and fro between them, that it would 
be natural to anticipate, every moment, some one 
of them missing his footing, or giving out under his 
weight : but no ; their legs would tremble and totter, 
and cross each other as the legs of an inebriate ; but 
slowly and safely would they keep on their way, — 
whether rejoicing or not I could not say. It is true, 
sometimes they fall, and if you ride some vicious 
beast he may throw you, — just for the fun of the 
thing! With ordinary care, however, serious acci- 
dents, at least, may be avoided. At all events, I 
would rather trust myself to their care in passing 
a difficult place, than to rely upon my own physical 
powers. 

It is quite amusing to hear their drivers yelling, 
Passa cd, asno (" Get along here, donkey "), but at 
the same time painful and vexing to witness them 
lustily waling the poor animals upon the haunches 
with a tough stick, or pricking them with the goad 
at the end of it until the blood oozes and trickles 



THE DONKEY AND ITS USEFULNESS. 127 

down its sides. At times, it may be questionable 
which is the greater beast — the driver, or one of 
his animals. 

Descending a steep declivity, the driver goes be- 
hind, throwing himself back, with the tail of the 
donkey in his hand, to keep him from slipping. 
When there is no cruelty on the part of the driver, 
a great deal of sport may be enjoyed during a don- 
key-ride, where there is a number riding together ; 
particularly if one of the party gets floored without 
being hurt, led into the briers by the roadside, or 
has his toes, and almost his knees, slightly rubbed 
against some stone wall, for the donkey seems to 
have an unconquerable predilection for the side of 
the road. There is always a certain inexplicable 
association in my mind between donkeys and St. 
Michael. It may be, perhaps, from the great num- 
bers of. these serviceable creatures to be found there, 
for almost every farmer has one or more donkeys to 
do his work, or for riding. 

The donkey subject naturally suggests to the mind 
the other mode of conveyance — carriages. In Fayal 
there are none to be let, though there are some twelve 
or fifteen belonging to private gentlemen in the city, 
who use them very little ; for during two months' 
stay in Horta I saw only one — the Baron of Santa 



128 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

Anna's — quite often, and two or three others very 
seldom. Two of them, something like covered 
wagons, I saw drawn by oxen or cows — a novelty, 
indeed, that surprised me. Upon second thought, it 
is not so very bad an idea, after all ; for a person 
having cattle, and wishing to ride slowly, can very 
well dispense with the more expensive horse. In 
St. Michael, however, carriages are plenty, both 
private and public. They are heavily built by na- 
tive manufacturers; but the nature of the country 
demands strength rather than beauty. As the horses 
are few, the carriages are drawn principally by 
mules. 

At Fayal, and in fact at all the islands, a little 
insect, of a dark-chestnut, glossy color is met with. 
It has wings, and some half a dozen springy legs 
that enable it to skip great distances. "It adroitly 
introduces itself through a person's garments, and 
bites. A little red mark designates the spot where it 
has put its bill, or sting, which, though not poisonous, 
is quite annoying, particularly when it gets inside 
of a boot, and you cannot be rid of it without pull- 
ing your boot off. I do not remember ever seeing 
it in this country, but it is well' known under the 
vulgar name of Jiea. It is no disgrace there to have 



FLEAS. 



29 



it in the house ; neither is it an infallible sign of 
uncleanliness, for it roves about in palatial resi- 
dences and in poor hovels, as well as through the 
streets. It is quite impossible to keep it out of the 
house, for it will introduce itself, by hook or by- 
crook, if not into the parlor, then into the kitchen. 
9 



CHAPTER XV. 

Diversity of Costumes. — Musical Club at Fayal. — Balls. — 
Courtship, Marriage, etc. — Final Departure from the 
Azores. — Conclusion. 

ALTHOUGH the dress in vogue amongst the 
higher classes in the Azores much resembles 
that worn in America, yet there is some diversity ; 
and amongst the middle and lower classes the con- 
trast is quite striking. In Fayal, the costume of the 
women of these classes, and, indeed, of some of the 
ladies, consists of a blue-cloth cloak, with a stiff, 
half-circular hood rising from the shoulders, thus 
forming an apex over the head, and concealing or 
showing the face of the wearer at-will. 

It has a rather strange appearance, and is worn 
more or less in nearly all the islands of the group. 
The cloak of this style, when worn by ladies, is 
generally made of broadcloth, to distinguish it from 
that enveloping the forms of the women of inferior 
rank. 

In Terceira, a fashion, which is almost obsolete at 

(130) 



DIVERSITY OF COSTUMES. 131 

the present day, was a hood resembling that of a 
water-proof cape attached to a cloak : the shape of 
the hood, which was so long as to reach below the 
waist, was circular, and the nether end was drawn 
urj, forming folds, and presenting the exact appear- 
ance of a round bolster-case. 

In St. Michael there is nothing remarkable about 
ladies' apparel aside from the hood worn at Fayal ; 
but upon the men, farmers mostly, is seen a pecu- 
liar head-piece. It is a skullcap, with a circular 
cape that comes down to the turning of the shoul- 
ders. A very wide and stiff visor, cut out as a con- 
cave, and bent upwards, gives it, at a side glance, 
the appearance of two horns. As the whole thing 
— garment I was going to call it — is made of thick 
homespun woollen cloth, it is necessary for comfort, 
in warm days, to throw up from the face the flaps 
of the cape, and button them, which by no means 
adds to its gracefulness. 

In St. George the skullcap is seen divested of 
visor and cape. It has a bright-red band around 
its turned-up edges, and is worn on the back of 
the head. A tuft of hair protruding from under it 
in front assumes the place of a visor. 

The people of both sexes in Pico wear a straw 
hat — a skull crown surrounded by a broad brim ; 
while those in Flores wear a party-colored knit wool- 



132 A TRIP TO THE AZORES. 

len cap, in shape like an elongated triangle, with a 
small tassel at the apex which hangs down upon 
one side of the face. 

Most people of both sexes of the lower class in 
all the islands go barefoot, except in Pico, where 
the greater part of them wear raw-hide sandals, 
fastened round the ankles with leather thongs, prob- 
ably to protect their feet from the extraordinary 
roughness of the volcanic scoriae with which the soil 
is overspread. In Fayal many women wear wooden 
clogs, or galoches. Occasionally you see a barefooted 
damsel indulging in the luxury of a hoop-skirt, or 
a barefooted sire of some country village with a 
rather rusty beaver crowning his honorable gray 
head. 

The dress of the priests is another peculiarity not 
seen in this country, though many wear the civil- 
ian's dress, excepting the neckcloth, or cravat, which 
they are obliged to retain. Their sacerdotal dress 
is a black tunic, with a row of little buttons all the 
way down in front. The tunic is very much like a 
garment with long sleeves, that gentlemen do not 
wear, but which is not unknown to the ladies. 
Over the shoulders is a cape, also black ; and upon 
the head a black felt three-cornered hat. The hand- 
somer dress, however, is the same tunic, with a flow- 
ing cloak over it that is gathered up in a peculiar 



MUSICAL CLUB AT FATAL. BALLS. 133 

manner about the waist, with a tasselled cap, some- 
what like a crown, in lieu of the inelegant three- 
cornered hat. 

Balls are an amusement much esteemed by the 
islanders. These are given by private individuals or 
authorities, and the guests are invited. Tickets are 
never issued, nor is any remuneration expected, as 
the party giving the ball bears all expenses. There 
is a musical club at Fayal, called the Lyra, com- 
posed of young gentlemen, who give a party every 
month in the winter. Strangers are always invited 
to the first ball succeeding their arrival, after which 
they can join the club by paying a small monthly 
sum. Upon the arrival of the ladies from the dress- 
ing-room, they are conducted to seats in the hall by 
gentlemen in waiting in the ante-room, and are left 
there by themselves until the music strikes up. After 
the dance is over, the ladies walk round a few times 
with their partners ; and upon taking their seats, the 
gentlemen leave for the ante-rooms again. The 
dances consist of the lancers, fancy-dances, and qua- 
drilles. The quadrille is formed by as many couples 
as the room will hold on the four sides. The fig- 
ures are hardly ever called, as everybody is supposed 
to know them. 

The older gentlemen, with a few of the younger 



*34 



A TRIP TO TEE AZORES. 



ones, pass their time in the card-room. During the 
evening a collation is served, consisting of black and 
green tea, mixed cakes, and very thin slices of but- 
tered bread. 

The rule of the club requires the dispersion of 
these parties at one o'clock, when a national air is 
played by the full band, and the regulation rigidly 
adhered to. 

Other balls are given in more or less style, ac- 
cording to the means or. taste of those in whose 
houses they take place ; for, unlike the club, they 
are not restricted by any rules. Many little parties 
are given, also, which partake of a ball as far as 
dancing is concerned, and in which games are in- 
troduced. As the houses have no carpets, this 
can be done without much inconvenience ; and 
the floors being very well jointed and finished, the 
rooms are perfectly free from dust. The parlors 
of the better class of houses are generally large, 
with the adjoining dining-room also of equal propor- 
tions : therefore there is always sufficient room, as 
no more guests can come than those invited. The 
hall of the club is of this description ; and, indeed, 
there are no others to be had. 

Marriage, and the preliminaries preceding and at- 
tending it, — subjects very interesting to the young of 



COURTSHIP, MARRIAGE, ETC. 135 

both sexes, and by many of them considered as an- 
other kind of amusement, — are not conducted in the 
same manner as in this republican country. A gen- 
tleman sees a lady who pleases and fascinates him. 
He manoeuvres to judge of her sentiments in regard 
to him, either by looks, signs, or the medium of a 
trusty servant. If convinced, after this trial, of her 
preference for him, his attentions commence by epis- 
tles, with perhaps an occasional stolen interview. 

He is not permitted to visit the lady until he has 
asked her hand of her parents ; after which, if con- 
sent be given, he is almost in honor bound to marry 
her. He is seldom, if ever, left alone with her, as 
some member of the family stays with the lovers 
during their tete-a-tete, which is never prolonged 
to a late hour. The chances he has to study her 
character are very few ; but there is one thing in 
his favor, — the submission of a wife to her hus- 
band being quite a matter of course. 

The ladies generally go out alone, or attended 
by a servant, their husbands seldom accompanying 
them, excepting on Sundays or in the evenings. Sin- 
gle ladies never walk with gentlemen, unless broth- 
ers or fathers. 

If you call at a house where you are acquainted, 
and meet strangers, you need not wait for an intro- 



136 A TRIP TO TEE AZORES. 

duction, which is not always given, but you must 
bow, and enter into conversation, or else be consid- 
ered rude. The same thing is practised wherever 
you meet an acquaintance or friend accompanied by 
a stranger. 

Not simply touching, but taking off the hat, and 
bowing, is quite universal and obligatory to show 
good breeding, not only to passers-by, but to per- 
sons — ladies in particular — at windows, whether 
you know them or not. From foreigners this is not 
expected ; but the courtesy will be returned if they 
bow first. I have been amused quite often to think 
of the number of times necessary to doff my hat 
during the day in return to the little barefooted, 
three-year-old urchin, sidling along and looking 
askance at me as he raises his hat ; or through 
every grade up to the white-headed old gentleman 
who bows to me from across the street. 

At last the day came when I bade farewell to 
the Azores, with hopes of revisiting them again in 
a few months. I took passage in an English brig, 
which had put in at Horta for ballast, expecting 
to arrive at New Bedford, her destined port, in 
about a month. 

The day after sailing, Fayal was still in sight — 
a sad forerunner of what the passage was to be ; 



CONCLUSION. 137 

for when a month had elapsed, we were scarcely 
half way across the Atlantic. Continued gales from 
contrary quarters, aided by the inferior sailing qual- 
ities of the brig, tantalized us for fifty-three days 
with hopes deferred. But more fortunate than many 
others who crossed the ocean that season, we ar- 
rived safely at last, where we were welcomed by 
kind friends who had given us up for lost. 

As I draw my narrative to a close, I feel that I 
have scarcely done justice to my subject, especially 
that portion of it relating to the physical condition 
of the Islands ; and it seems as if I had but drawn 
aside for a moment the thick veil shrouding" a beau- 
tiful picture, and let it drop again before the be- 
holder could mark the finest touches of that grand, 
unsurpassed master-artist — Nature. 

Reader, if the perusal of this little volume shall 
contribute in any way to your pleasure, the author 
will consider himself well repaid for his labor of 
love in bringing his country into notice, and adding 
another to the world of books. 





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